As 2012 draws to a close, we take a look at the most popular books of the year. We start with the most rented books. (This list is limited to the books released in India in 2012). For an overall list, wait for our next post

Fiction:

There were some big releases by big names and predictably they did well. Fifty Shades of Grey was perhaps the only surprise package but it had already topped charts internationally by the time it reached the Indian market.

a) Angel of the Dark:  Tilly Bagshawe continues the legacy of the master story teller Sidney Sheldon in this thriller. Popular among all ages.

b) Fifty Shades of Grey By E L James: This international best seller was much in demand. Perhaps it was the lure of the hitherto forbidden. However, the two sequels- FIfty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed did not do as well.

c) The Affair: Jack Reacher is fast catching the fancy of thriller enthusiasts across the country, particularly in the metros.

d) Sins of the Father: No suprise here. The Second novel of the Clifton Saga, it was a must read for all Archer fans.

e) Maharani Ruskin Bond’s latest book about the Maharani who drank too much has been on people’s bookshelves since its release

f) The Casual Vacancy: Again, this one was expected to be popular. When Rowling writes an adult book, all Harry Potter fans come looking. We had a tough time saying no to kids.

g) Sethji: Shobhaa De’s latest offering was eagerly rented by her fans.

h) The Bankster Ravi Subramanium’s new financial thriller was popular in the metros.

i) One Hundred Names When Cecilia Ahern writes, her loyal fans have to read.

j) The Forest of Stories: When Ashok Banker engages in a retelling of the Mahabharata it is bound to find many takers.

Non Fiction

The non fiction readers chose to stick to the existing best sellers like Discovery of India and Steve Jobs: An Autobiography.. However, among the new releases, there were a few surprises.

a) The Day I stopped drinking milk and other stories Sudha Murthy’s easy style and story telling once again drew people across the country/

b) Beautiful Country: Stories from Another India : At a time when India is churning and the youth is on the lookout for success stories, this book about the hidden face of India, found many takers, especially among college students and young professionals.

c) What Young India Wants : Chetan Bhagat’s latest offering. need we say more?

d) Behind the Beautiful Forevers Katherine Boo’s peek at life in the slums of Mumbai was much appreciated.

e) Jugaad Innovation: Jugaad is the Indian way of life and a book that teaches you to be innovative and do more with less is bound to be popular.

Children

No surprises here. The kids read exactly what we expected them to, in addition to their Goosebumps, Geronimo Stiltons and Enid Blytons.

Artemis Fowl and the Last Guardian The latest in the series of escapades by the criminal master mind Artemis Fowl found many takers among teh young ones.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel by Jeff Kinney: It may have just been released but all copies of the book are always out.

The Serpent’s Shadow by Rick Riordan This was the final book of the Kane Chronicles. It had to do well

Did you read these books? What did you think of them? Do let us know.

Review by Abhilasha Kumar

You know this book signifies much more than a few stories strung together, right at the onset. Tania James has achieved an emotional connect with the reader by penning down some truly heart rending pieces. They strike a chord somewhere. At some specific junctures in the book, you get the odd feeling that James is deliberately touching a soft spot; digging through your iron clad flesh, and reviving the heart that you have safely hidden someplace deep. You’ve never really taken short stories seriously – not even the ones you’ve crafted yourself. For how much could a few pages possibly convey? What order of words, what string of sentences could possibly compare to the power of a novel? But you have to confess,  you’re rethinking it all.

The beauty of James’ writing lies in the fact that her characters don’t fit in your world – not a single thread of commonality can be detected – and yet, you feel a compelling connection to each of them. Perhaps, by constructing realities contrasting to yours, she is driving home the realisation that we’re all the same, across countries, continents and the world at large. We spend too much time in our comfortable cocoons, wallowing in self pity, making mountains out of molehills. We continuously try to validate our uniqueness, asserting by reason or by force that we’re different. Our struggles are different, our emotions are different. But are they? James answers this question in her own humbling, poignant way. So when you suddenly feel the pangs of jealousy, as Imam, the younger sibling witnesses the rise of his brother Gama, you’re wonderstruck. Surely, you’re too different from two wrestlers yearning for a title to find any common ground with them? But that’s where James’ genius probably lies– her stories do not seem to rely on characters or even plots. They’re relying on something much more powerful – the sentiment – an angle she has mastered brilliantly.

Her stories tell you that the bond between siblings is complicated. Yet, despite all odds, jealousies and rivalries, it is a bond that nature has nurtured. And you can’t mess with nature, can you?

The key to every story in the book is relationships, and James has understood their fragility well. You may have laughed uncontrollably at Ross Geller’s monkey comedy, but James’ Henry is anything but an object of ridicule. Henry represents the pet you gave up, if you ever did. There are passages in the book that make you smile like a child. Your feelings are mixed– there is a hint of nostalgia, combined with a massive amount of guilt. Sometimes you let go simply because you have no choice. Maybe some bonds are meant to break. Maybe they have a life span. And maybe if you went back, there won’t be anything left to go back to. Maybe your very own Henry has forgotten too. Her sentences are lovely, some of them more than the others. She writes in ‘Aerogrammes’, ‘Sometimes the accumulation of his silence seemed to heap upon him, as slowly as snow, until he felt he could no longer be seen.’ In that one line, she sums up every mild introvert’s constant dilemma.

Some of the stories hit too close to your heart. As you read through ‘The Gulf’, you realise that the title does not only signify what it pretends to. Distances in relationships are not merely geographical. You’re suddenly the little girl, curious, almost desperate to unravel the mystery about her father. Do you need to pay attention to the details? More importantly, did the author even want you to? In my opinion, her sole intention was to force you to smudge the details. Her book is not thriving on them, and frankly, with the quality of emotion it carries, it doesn’t even need to.

The farther you delve into the book’s pages, the more you realise that James has attempted to word the subtle undercurrents of many relationships; her writing is powerful, her stories heartfelt; her themes universal. She words the complications of familial ties. She lays out the subtle layers of insecurity more than once. She demonstrates the innocence of childhood, deftly entwined with the complexity of adulthood. She presents to you a collage that seems unfamiliar at first, but eventually, you realize that you know all the colours. You know the glue that sticks them together too. You know every piece of the puzzle she’s presenting. This is your territory. And eventually, we’re all born with territorial instincts, aren’t we?

You’ll like the book. Probably because you’ll find yourself in a little girl, or an old man, or a widow, or an insecure child or maybe in all of them. You won’t have to squeeze in. You’ll simply fit, even if only for a few lines or paragraphs. Nevertheless, you’ll find yourself!

Aerogrammes & Other Stories by Tania James

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Book Review: Toke by Jugal Mody

Review by Reshmy Pillai

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Three facts I bet you did not know about marijuana and getting stoned!

1. We know Lord Shiva enjoys marijuana and loves getting stoned, but Lord Vishnu enjoys it too!!
2. In fact the probability of meeting Vishnu face to face is most when you are at your high’s highest – he has a whole secret cult called BoV or Boys of Vishnu, comprising only of stoners!
3. Marijuana smoke can help you identify maggots with naked eyes – no microscope needed, and it is also your shield against turning into zombies. Who needs another medicine, eh?

You learn all this and more as you wade through Jugal Mody’s terrific debut work – a book that is part satire, part religious reconstruction and part fantasy. Jugal takes us on an unconventional, out-of-this-world ride, one that could well have been a dramatic, action induced dream. Actually, by the end of the book, that seems like a distinct possibility. Toke, in a subtle manner, breaks some myths that we, the majority in the country – Hindus – have grown up with: most importantly, the one about Hinduism being a religion. The story suggests that it is anything but a religion; it is a way of life, the way of the universe. Toke brings together a most unusual group of people to sort out the biggest problem facing the human race – extinction; and Lord Vishnu – the creator himself is not very hopeful that Nikhil, the protagonist, will save his beloved creation, not that it matters much to him.

Toke takes us on a ride which starts with Nikhil – not much of a son, ‘loser’ type employee and extremely average human being – having one of his worst days at work. His project is behind schedule, his computer acting up, his project manager glaring down on him every few hours and his cubicle neighbor, ‘perfect employee’ Alok popping over the wall with very helpful remarks, specifically timed with the project manager’s rounds. Eventually, by half day, he ends up at his best friends – Aman & Danny – flat, who live to get stoned with the best weed procurable out there and the easiest way to enrage them is by calling ganja a drug. Fancy that! After this most appreciative day at work all Nikhil wants is to get stoned, and stoned he gets after his friends dig out their best stuff for his initiation. Herein the action begins. The following morning while his friends are still stoned, Nikhil encounters a talking crow who claims to be a Hollywood celebrity, and then Lord Vishnu himself. Plopped on his throne of clouds, smoking a joint, the Creator is relaxed and smiling. He had come looking for Aman and Danny but since they were out cold, he assigns Nikhil with a mission. Vishnu tells him that demons are taking over the world and the human race is in real danger of turning undead; demons will be attacking in a most technological manner and humans will become extinct in their current form and only exist as controlled zombies. So Nikhil needs to save the world because Vishnu is in no mood to take his tenth incarnation of Kalki. The only divine support that Vishnu can provide is a red button that is to be used when in panic; it will transport them to the happy place of the one who pressed it.

A troubled Nikhil and his cool-in-everything stoner friends eventually figure out that everything around them is turning green and that maggots are being fed to people through food. These vile creatures then take control of their brains and turn them into zombies. The whole world is turning into a zombie-land and the group is being hunted down everywhere they flee with the help of the panic button. Amidst all this, Nikhil’s crush from office who is now partly a zombie, is tagging along with him; two Japanese girls who believe that Aman and Danny are martial arts masters have also joined the motley group and are cutting down people with their martial arts skills. Alok, Nikhil’s favorite colleague, has also joined the adventure and Vishnu keeps video conferencing to call Nikhil a loser, give him time mandates to save the world and inform him of his vacation plans. Thus while God is on his side, he is away on vacation!

Jugal makes one of the most confident literary debuts in recent times with Toke. The narration is crisp and well edited, the story unconventional and well detailed; and the concept, mind boggling. The book is entertaining, intelligent and engaging. I have not read many books that engage you with the deeper concepts of philosophy and religion as effortlessly as this one does, that too without compromising on the entertainment factor. A definitely recommended read for the year.

Toke by Jugal Mody; HarperCollins Publishers India; 2012

Buy or rent from INDIAreads Online Library and Bookstore!

If you’re in Lanka on business, pleasure or cricket, chances are you’ll be served arrack, an amber coloured intoxicant, favoured by the gentle and not-so-gentle islanders next door. Here are 10 things you didn’t know about it.

1.     Arrack predates Scotch and Vodka by centuries. Marco Polo apparently had a tipple in the 13^th century.

2.     It is not the same as raki from the Middle East, which tastes like liquorice. Or arkhi from Mongolia, which smells like fermented milk.

3.     It’s made from the juice of the coconut flower, plucked by crazy men in loin cloths, walking on 40 foot high tightropes.

4.     Arrack is consumed at Sri Lankan cricket matches, dodgy bars, nightclubs, office parties by everyone from hipsters to hip replacement patients.

5.     It’s best enjoyed with Ginger Ale and a plate of devilled meat. Some have it with coke. No one we know has tried it with tofu.

6.    Everyone agrees that frog tastes like chicken. And that arrack isn’t as bitter as whisky, or as sweet as rum. Everyone.

7.     There are 791 references to arrack in the novel Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew. You can count them.

8.    The 1771 recipe for Swedish Punch includes half a pint of arrack. A classic Arrack Sour contains lime juice, ice cubes and a ton of sugar.

9.    There are many types of arrack: Double Distilled, VSOA, Old Reserve, Blue and Pol. But the strongest and meanest is Extra Special Gal, a cross between paint thinner and cough syrup.

10.  After 2 drinks, you will be eloquent on the subjects of cricket and politics. After 5, you will develop an ear for baila music and will laugh at everything. If still awake after 10, you are most likely get beaten up.

Sri Lankan writer Shehan Karunatilaka is the author of the Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew, which won the 2012 Commonwealth Book Prize.

(To buy this interesting read that gives you a flavour of cricket, Sri Lanka and arrack, log on to www.indiareads.com)

Move over Monica and Chandler – Y and Vijay are here, the quintessential metro couple walking the thin line between life in a metropolis and values of a small town. They are crazy, they are fun, they are you and me and that’s perhaps why blogger Yashodhara Lal’s debut novel Just Married, Please excuse strikes such a chord. There is nothing remarkable about the plot apart from the fact that it is so real that in Yasho’s daily struggles you see yourself. And reading about one’s life, when the narrative is laced with humour, is always fun.  Think Sex and the City or Marian Keyes!

Y is the tempestuous 21st century, sarcasm-sprouting IIM graduate who after much trepidation takes the plunge with steady, laid back, still-trying-to-get-over-his-small-town ways Vijay. Her reluctance is understandable – ask any 23 year old, independent metro girl who’s had the question popped. Living together is cool but marriage to a person who, in many ways is the antithesis of you? Absolutely not. Why they even think in different languages! She can’t remember what namaste is called in hindi (!!!) and he loses his tenacious command over English every time he gets agitated. Tough decision but our dear author knows it is the right one when said guy holds her head over the toilet seat without a wince. And thus the drama begins. Suddenly trousers and tee girl Y finds herself struggling to get into a saree to please her mom-in-law or plying pa-in-law with innumerable cups of tea and rhombus shaped rotis to win him over. Not that Mummyji and Papaji are the dreaded monsters-in-law portrayed in Ektaa Kapoor soaps. No, they are the sweet, cute, slightly conservative couple who recognize that while their bahu maybe a complete disaster in the kitchen, drink alcohol and wear short pants, their son finds her to be a great person and that, is enough. They don’t pop a vein, not even when said daughter-in-law throws a fit at 2 in the morning and stalks out of the house. Instead, mummyji calmly explains, “ Ladne ki kya baat hain? Arrey, kabhi main maan jaati hoon, kabhi wo maan jaate hain.” How profound!

And how very difficult to implement. Y and V discover that the real challenge is to get used to each other’s idiosyncrasies - his penchant for all things alu gobhi and her tendency to blow a fuse at the drop of a hat. You breeze through the first 120 pages with a smile on your face as you encounter their efforts to buy a house and witness Y’s driving lessons. And just as you think that this crazy but adorable couple has found their equilibrium, princess peanut decides to make an entry. Thus begins a whole new set of this-is-the-way-to-it battles when internet based wisdom finds itself at odds with good old tradition . Yashodhara portrays with ease and remarkable wit the struggles of a newly wed working couple as they learn to handle their pregnancy. However, it is after baby Anoushka is born that the book loses its pace and charm. The flow, realism and hey-that-could-be-me feel of the earlier chapters that compelled you to keep turning the pages is lost and the embellishments become more glaring. Some encounters, like the one when Y’s househelp raises a false alarm and has the entire locality on the streets at 2 am seem a little too far fetched. Hey, they could still be real but pardon me, if I find them a tad difficult to swallow.

Like most books by Indian authors, Just Married, Please Excuse has a fairly liberal dose of Hinglish sprinkled across it’s pages but Yashodhara’s colloquial style of writing ensures that it does not jar. Her language is contemporary, and yet thankfully it does not make a mockery of English, unlike a lot of new publications. For that alone, the author deserves our gratitude.

Fitzgerald of the Great Gatsby fame once said that to write a good book “you have to sell your heart” because when you begin you only have your emotions to offer. And that is exactly what Yashodhara does. Her candor evokes a sense of déjà vu. (Makes you wonder if this book truely is a work of fiction as the cover states or is it a memoir? Y, are you listening? ) If you are trying to find your niche in the big urban jungle, every page of the book, barring the last few chapters perhaps, is likely to remind you of an instance in your life or of someone around you. And if you are still enjoying the relative coziness of small town India as it races to meet the metros, you’ll get a glimpse of what life has in store for you. Relax, it’s not bad; just insane! A little bit like Marriage

Title: Just Married, Please Excuse; By: Yashodhara Lal; ISBN: 9789350292273
Cover price: INR 199;  Format: Paperback; Genre: Fiction; Published by: HarperCollins Publishers India

Available for rent/sale @ INDIAreads Online Library and Bookstore!

Psst!!! Still not figured out the name of the book??? Well, here’s the final clue…

Among the dallies
I often dally
I left a lily in the valley

But now and then I ponder
And wonder as I wander
Among the fields and shrub
Perhaps the trouble is
Who knows
That I never met a rose

I can’t tell you more than this! So go for it. Remember to post your answers here on the INDIAreads Online Library cum Bookstore blog or on our facebook page before midnight on Sept 26, 2012. Check out this space tomorrow to see which best selling books are hidden inside our Treasure Chest this week. Happy Reading and Bonne Chance!

Still haven’t figured me out? Gosh! You are slow. Think books, think best sellers, think classics.

And here’s your clue number 3.

My creator was an aviator!

Now you should definitely know who I am. So hurry up and send in your entries to INDIAReads Online Library and Bookstore and win fabulous prizes!!!

So you think you know your teachers?

Let’s see…

Favourite colour?

Favourite food?

Favourite movie?

And, favourite author????

If you know the answers to the above, you probably don’t need to read this post, but if you are among the bunch of students who are biting their nails, then stop fretting. As always help is at hand….But first dude, you need to tell me what your teacher’s like? Are you halfway in love with him or her or is the gift simply a bribe to ensure that the grouchy know-it-all goes easy on you….Think Think….

If she’s happy-go-lucky, fun, less than 40 and your secret crush, try a Nicholas Sparks or an Erma Bombeck. You could also pick a Tom Robbins, a Marion Keyes, Jackie Collins or a Bill Cosby. Look out for Yashodhara Lal’s Just Married, Please Excuse or Parul Sharma’s Bringing up Vasu if you think your teacher might prefer Indian writing. Nothing, of course, beats the evergreen Calvin and Hobbes, P G Wodehouse or Dilbert.

A word of Caution: Tempting as it may be, do not gift her a Fifty Shades of Grey. Remember, she’s a teacher after all.

If he’s cool, quirky and has most of the girls drooling after him, try a Freakonomics. If he loves bikes, Neil Bradford’s Sons of Thunder; if he is into sports, try  the autobiography of any player. If it is fiction you want to gift, try a thriller – a Ken Follett, P D James or David Baldacci.

Word of caution: It’s called Chick Lit for a reason. Even if you  are a Marion Keyes fan, gifting it him is a very bad idea.

If she’s sweet, understanding and a romantic at heart, pick up a Paulo Coelho or some of the evergreen reads – Gone with the Wind, Pride and Prejudice, To Sir With Love, The Bridge Across Forever. 84 Charring Cross Road, Mister God This is Anna and Palace of Illusions will also be much appreciated.

Word of Caution: Stay away from the blood and the gore.

Now here’s the tough one….for the teacher you respect, yet fear. You can’t skip her homework or go wool gathering in his class. They mean business and yet you understand every word that they say. In the fiction genre, try a Khushwant Singh, an Amitav Ghosh or a Khaled Hosseini. If you want to impress them with non-fiction, biographies and autobiographies are a good place to start – Helen Keller’s My Story, Steve Jobs: the Exclusive Biography, It’s not about the Bike or Einstein . Nehru’s Discovery of India, Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats and Katherine Boo’s Behind the Beautiful Forevers also make for good gifts.

A word of caution: Make sure, you match it right. The Wonder that was India and Discovery of India should go to your Social Science/History Teacher. Bill Bryson’s A Short History of Nearly everything or Stephen Hawkings’ A Brief History of Time to your Science Prof and the good old classic or fiction to your English teacher. Try a collection of Premchand or Rabindranath Tagore (in Hindi) or Rahasya to show your appreciation for your hindi teacher.

And remember, these recommendations are based on stereotypes. Your Maths teacher can enjoy a good chick lit and your history teacher a racy thriller. So if you have seen a book peeping out of their purses, that’s a clue – pursue it. Of course, the good thing is, right or wrong, your teacher can never not appreciate a book – it goes against the grain. As long as you stay away from a Fifty Shades or a Noddy, you are in relatively safe territory.

by Gunjan Veda (author, Beautiful Country, Stories from Another India)

Before I begin this book review, a word of caution. Much as I love reading non fiction, reviewing them is a task I shy away from. Honestly, I am never sure if I am qualified enough to pass an opinion. After all, when you review a work of fiction – there are very tangible and easily monitorable (at least, in my case) parameters. You look at the plot, story line, language, treatment, tempo. Is it believable? Does it recreate the scene for you? Are you able to identify with the characters, their feelings? Is the fantasy fantastic enough? Is the romance sweet or forced? Did you solve the mystery by page 50 or did you sit up all night to get to the end? Was it a whodunit or a lame attempt at one? Did the words flow as one whole or did the sentences jar? Yes, I know what I am looking for and I am confident in what I pronounce. But enter the realm of non-fiction and the game changes. I can still talk about readability, language, flow, treatment. Is the topic interesting enough? Is it new? Is the information new? Has it been explained sufficiently? But here’s where I hit a bottleneck – is the information accurate? Is it neutral or does it only reflect one side of the story? Has the writer wittingly or unwittingly, hidden, manipulated or distorted facts? In a work of non-fiction, the truth counts. But truth is subjective. And there are just too many versions of it. I will never know if the information in the secret CIA files was doctored. I will never know how many “terrorists” the author actually spoke to or whether he accurately reflected their sentiments. I can do some research and figure out the political leanings of the author, but really I won’t be able to balance his or her views or provide sufficient counters. So treat this as a disclaimer of sorts. This is not a comment on the political leanings of the author or how meticulously he did his homework. I can’ t tell you if the author consulted all available sources or if he did justice to them. We will assume that he did all of that and more. This review is on the contents of the book and what the reader can expect for it.

On May 2, 2011 the world woke up to the news that Osama Bin Laden was dead. After a ten year long search that cost half a trillion dollars, employed hundreds of CIA and Special Service operatives and resulted in many civilian deaths in drone attacks conducted to kill the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, Osama Bin Laden had finally been felled. What did this manhunt entail? Why did it take so long to capture him? How did the security agencies finally track down and kill the man who had eluded them for over a decade? What were Bin laden’s final days like? All this and much more forms the basis of Peter Bergen’s new book, Manhunt: the ten year search for Osama Bin Laden.

There is something strangely – almost morbidly- fascinating about propagators of violence. You may loathe them, idolize them or try to understand them, but you can’t ignore them because their actions -howsoever repulsive or brave they may be – define eras. 9/11 made Osama Bin Laden into a household name. The years that followed have seen innumerable books, TV shows and documentaries on this man who single-handedly declared war against the world’s reigning super power. Yet one week before Bin Laden became a global phenomenon, CNN’s Peter Bergen submitted a manuscript about the man and his “Holy War” against America. Bergen was the first journalist to carry Bin Laden’s hate note for America, delivered from a mud hut in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan in March 1997, to a western audience. Perhaps it is poetic justice then that the same man has now come up with a blow by blow account of how the US forces struggled and finally managed to kill Bin Laden by tracking his courier.

Manhunt begins with a brief account of the man who was Bin Laden and his “retired” life in Abbottabad. As with his previous three books, Bergen reminds the reader that Osama Bin Laden was not a spectre or a phenomenon, but a man with beliefs, ideas and a family – a man who was happiest in a mud hut high up in the mountains of Tora Bora where gas lanterns were the only source of light and a wood burning stove the only source of heat. A man who taught his family to always be prepared for life on the run because “we never know when war will strike.” Bergen talks about Osama’s day to day life, his relationship with his wives and the use of Avina syrup, a natural Viagra. Of course, there are the obvious biases when Bin Laden is compared to Hitler but to be fair, the author also documents the absolute loyalty and trust Bin Laden inspired amongst his followers. He goes on to describe Bin Laden’s reaction as he heard the news of the 9/11 attack over the BBC’s Arabic radio in the mountains of Khost in eastern Afghanistan.

To this point, the book is interesting but not exceptional. The real action begins after the attacks when Bergen transports the reader to the mountains of Tora Bora, to the CIA Counter Terrorism Centre, to White House and finally to the Abbottabad compound where Laden was killed. Being a journalist, he does not expect the reader to understand military terminology or set up. Instead he explains the entire operation and the role played by every individual and unit in simple terms, without overwhelming the reader with too many facts or jargon. As a result, the lay reader is able to appreciate the military strategy and planning that goes into an operation of this magnitude. Ferreting out one terrorist for a whole bunch of special operatives might seem like an easy enough job but in reality it is very, very tough. It requires a plethora of special skills and a whole bunch of people – from behaviour experts and commandos to cryptologists and even botanists- working together on a zero tolerance for mistake thresh hold. After all, one untapped clue can lead to a collapse of the entire mission. One may or may not agree with the War against Terror and the way it was fought, but Manhunt compels the reader to appreciate the pressures such a mission puts on those in power. They faced tough questions and mostly, it was a case of damned-if-you-do-and-damned-if-you-don’t. Pakistan was an ally, albeit one in chaos. Should the Pakistani Army be trusted? Should the Special Operatives collaborate with them? Should Osama be killed or captured? How should he be taken out – with a B2 bomber, a drone attack or a helicopter borne assault? And most importantly, should the US violate the sovereign integrity of an ally by sending in its troops on the stealth when the certainty of Osama being at the compound was at best 60 per cent? Even after the raid was carried out successfully, the questions did not end. Should pictures of his dead body be released to silence skeptics or should they be withheld to ensure he isn’t granted the status of a martyr? What should be done with his body? How should Pakistan be informed?

Yes, Manhunt makes for fascinating read – an action packed thriller, albeit one where the events, characters, stunts – everything is real. But for me the real strength of the book lies in the insight in provides into the lives of the Heads of State and their Heads of Security. Here, once again, a disclaimer is in order. I am unashamedly and avowedly anti “War on Terror.” Like most people, I abhor war and violence, but unlike many, my opposition extends to all acts of violence, irrespective of political leanings, nationality or religion of the perpetrator or the victim. I try to understand the motivations behind these acts, gruesome and inhumane as they may be, but that makes for another post. The point here is that I am not a neutral reader or reviewer. I have my biases. If I had to find a bad guy in the orgy of violence that has snuffed out – an indeed continues to do so- so many lives in Afghanistan , in Iraq and in many recognized and unrecognized battlefields across the world – it would be the man who authorized this violence and his cronies. Yes, I have been and continue to be, in many instances – decidedly anti-establishment (and in this case the US establishment). But Manhunt made me realize that I would never like to be in Obama’s shoes. Or Bush’s for that matter. (I am not getting into the Democrats vs Republicans debate here). My decided and definite antipathy to violence notwithstanding, would I have been able to do things differently? I am not sure.

To most “commoners” (read people who are not part of the government or establishment), the life of a statesman or stateswoman is grand. Foreign trips, exclusive planes, VVIP treatment, all manners of special privileges. That is true. Yet, Manhunt tells you why you and I would never wish to have those lives. “With great power (and everything that power can buy including every manner of luxury) comes great responsibility”. Uncle Ben’s wise words to Peter Parker (Spiderman, for the uninitiated) are not just an adage. What if it wasn’t been Bin Laden, but a perfectly respectable Pakistani citizen and his family staying inside the Abbottabad compound? What if it was Bin Laden hiding in the mountains of Tora Bora, planning the next 9/11? What if the handful of soldiers sent in on the chopper to the compound got apprehended or killed by Bin Laden’s associates? What if the Pakistani army hit the helicopter? What if another Somalia or Vietnam happened? What if the raid wasn’t conducted and Bin Laden and Al Qaeda continued to flourish? What if some Al Qaeda agent had infiltrated the US intelligence system and fed wrong information to further rupture the already faltering relationship between US and Pakistan? The what ifs are never ending and each time the ultimate decision lies with one man (or woman). As National Security Adviser Tom Donolin said, “Those moments still really strike me, that we ask one person in our system to make these incredibly difficult call on behalf of three hundred million Americans.” And that isn’t the end of it. You are not permitted to betray, by the slightest word, deed or gesture, the questions that plague you. You are expected to take decisions that history could forever condemn you for without batting an eyelid and often without letting anyone but your closest advisers in on the secret. So immediately after giving the go ahead (against the advise of his top advisers) for the operation, Obama flew to the tornado affected city of Tuscaloosa in Alabama, watched the launch of the space shuttle Endeavor and gave a commencement address at Miami Dade College. A few hours before Operation Neptune Spear as it was called, commenced, he took digs at Donald Trump at the Annual White House Correspondents dinner while his Director of National Counterterrorism Centre took his marriage vows. And even as the choppers flew towards Abbottabad, he went for his customary Sunday game of golf. All so that no one would scent what was afoot. Definitely not a life I want.

So read Manhunt, if current affairs, politics and the war on terror interest you. Read it if Bin Laden intrigues you and if you want to disabuse the many myths that unknowingly, we still hold dear. Read it for the intrigue, the thrill and the little known facts -did you know that women agents played a critical role in locating Bin Laden – that it brings out. Read it to understand a little more about the person and events that have and continue to shape the world as we know it today.

Rent/Buy Manhunt: From 9/11 to Abbottabad – the ten year search for OSAMA BIN LADEN from INDIAreads Online Library and Bookstore. Register Now!

Have you ever read a book and wondered, what if the end had happened differently? Why that cliffhanger of an ending? What inspired the author to write this book? How much of the book is real?

Don’t worry, Literathon is here.

This is where you, my dear reader, can meet authors. Where you can question, talk, discuss and engage with the biggest names in the Indian literary world. You can be a part of the launch of the next bestseller and get to know what went into the writing of that book. And if you are an aspiring writer, you can get tips from established names or even get them to look at your scripts. Get an autograph, click that photograph and enjoy evocative book reading sessions.

At Literathon, you can meet fellow book lovers and discuss and debate your views about that book that you loved or hated.

Do you have a manuscript lying in a drawer, but never had the confidence to show it to anyone? At Literathon, not only can you attend creative writing workshops, but you can also discuss ideas with the veterans in the field.

At Literathon you’ll be catapulted into the world of books in its true sense. There aren’t just book discussions and debates but also the most uniquely designed competitions like – Pic-a-caption. We give you captions from books and you just need to click a picture that exemplifies it.

Oh, I know by now you must be wondering if this is all talk. Just big promises. Well believe you me, it is not. So at our inaugural event we bring to you the best from the world of management and development.

Yes, Rashmi Bansal, the best selling author of Stay Hungry Stay Foolish, Connect the Dots etc will inaugurate Literathon along with Padma awardee and Planning Commission member Dr Syeda Hameed at the Conference Centre, North Campus, Delhi University on July 28, 2012. And the Agenda for the day???

The all India book launch of Poor Little Rich Slum – the new book by Rashmi Bansal and international management consultant Deepak Gandhi.

Book Reading from Beautiful Country: Stories from Another India which has been on the list of Non-fiction best sellers of The Hindu for the last few weeks.

Talk and interactive session on the Secrets of Entrepreneurship by Rashmi Bansal and Deepak Gandhi.

Talk and interactive session on Youth as agents of change by Syeda Hameed and Gunjan Veda (co-author, Beautiful COuntry: STories from Another India)

All Day Book Bazaar with exclusive discounts and special deals.

Online and On the Spot competitions and Book signing by the authors!!!!

Want to know more? Just log on to www.indiareads.com/literathon and check out the event details and the various contests. Gift hampers worth thousands of rupees await you!!! So Delhiites hurry! Register now. The hall has a limited capacity so registrations will be on a first come first serve basis. The inaugural event is being hosted in collaboration with MIB-MHROD, Delhi School of Economics

You aren’t a part of DU? Don’t be disappointed. Call us to your campus. Write to us at literathon@indiareads.com