The Lucky One - Nicholas Sparks (Book).

The Lucky One - Nicholas Sparks.

Disclaimer: Whenever you travel out of town on an official trip, make sure that you keep at least 2-3 books and NEVER travel with only one book. Or else you may finish the one you are reading (Lust for Life) and start looking for options available on your laptop and only find a love story to read. If you have the only option of reading a love story, make sure it is NOT a Nicholas Sparks book. And if it is a Nicholas Sparks book, make sure not to read it in public or an outstation cab because as you will smile reading the book and look out of the window to the scenery the driver too will smile looking in the rear view mirror and if your eyes will go moist in an emotional scene the same man may ask you "Sir, everything alright? missing your family?". And if you end up anyways reading a Nicholas Sparks book while you are away from your family :) be ready prepared to send too many text messages saying all that lovey dovey messages to your Girl Friend / Wife or both getting a response like "Leave everything and come back soon please". And on top of that if it is monsoon time, you are actually committing a slow suicide and thats exactly how it all went for me while I read this gem of a story in last two days and finally as the book came to an end, I reached home and typing this as my wifey sleeps peacefully calling me a workaholic :) she doesn't know that I need to report all this to you lovely people too.

Call me crazy or hardcore romantic (or emotional) Nicholas Sparks books always have that magic on me and this one tops the chart for me for following reason. Now imagine a story whose protagonist is called "Logan" that itself will make me give it a star and I am set to fall in love with the man just for his name. And on top of that the guy has to be lean, muscular, good looking with broad shoulders, long hair which of-course he will be careless about, an Ex Marine who survives so many bomb blasts (serving his country in Iraq and Kuwait - you get a hang), he keeps losing his friends in war and remains throughout untouched, how? Because he finds a picture of a woman in the desert and since the day he finds that pic, it works like a lucky charm for him. With almost no clue as who that pic belongs too, or who the lady in question is, his best buddy forces him to go in the search of his own destiny as he owes that much to her. What happens to his friend and how he forces / helps him to go on that journey and the incredible way how Logan goes in search of the woman, what all hurdles he faces in finding her is the rest of the amazing story. And Oh! before I forget the dude has to have a German Shepherd as company that too a very cute looking dog with super intelligence. And let me tell you this in advance that Nicholas Sparks never serves any of his stories in a platter to his readers as there has to be a twist which will choke them, make them pray (even when they are atheists) as I am sure you have read "Message in a Bottle" and how it ends :(.

Now imagine the other side of the story, the woman in picture could be real, what would her life be like? That picture could be a decade old, by the time he discovers it, she could be married and may have a few kids or whatever. What is Logan supposed to tell her if he actually finds her in the first place? Who lost her picture in the desert? Was that his lucky charm too? Repercussions of losing it? Go get the book and find out, don't ask me, I don't disclose spoilers.

If you have read all that I am sure you know by now that I am huge huge Sparks fan, no doubt on that. Do tell me if you have read this one? or which one is your favorite Nich Sparks book? I am almost done with all his books in publication order, guess another 4-5 are remaining which I am trying to stretch as long as he comes out with another in the meantime :).

Collected Stories - Guy De Maupassant (Book).

Collected Stories - Guy De Maupassant. So I finished the fattest book of the year (750+ pages) and picked up even more fattier (1035+ pages) Stephen King (The Stand) as stuck inside the house for last three weeks which is going to last I guess another two weeks for sure :). I got this book as gift from a very darling friend of mine who accompanied me on my first visit to my favorite bookstore (Blossoms Bangalore). Wifey had bought her first iPhone and we got a cash back of five grand :) which she let me splurge on anything that I wanted. Since I was to visit our Bangalore office that same week, I dreamed of picking up a load of books from Blossoms. I told the bookstore guy that I was on a strict budget and would not like to spend anything upwards of 150/- on a book and I was there to pick up the maximum I could as I practically carried an empty bag on the flight to Bangalore. I end up picking precisely 29 books in five grand, mostly classics, all used old books, may be a few brand new. I don't know why but I find it charming to read used books which have seen better days and passed from so many hands, some of them have those side notes, some underlines, some highlights and so much more, I love all that. Looking at my diligence and the load that I picked up, my friend offered to buy me a brand new book of my choice and I was delighted to immediately grab the nearest fattest book with a name of an unknown author (to me at that time). During my return flight, my bag was scanned thrice and the cops at the airport were surprised to find only books in my bag and they actually questioned me why I came all the way to Bangalore to buy so many books :) guess none of them was a reader but they let me go with a smile. It took me almost two year to reach this one on my book-rack to read but I must say what an amazing 10 days I had with 153 stories from Guy De Maupassant. Another six months and I will be qualify for a second visit to my favorite bookstore. Paris, as far as I know is the Art, Fashion and Romance capital of the world, only romantics or arts eccentrics live or go there :) and if 153 stories from Guy De Maupassant to be believed from the late 19th century, a major of them qualify to be perverts of a different kind. Unbelievable was the word which kept coming to my mind as I progressed from one story to another much to my own delight as they were actually not only hilarious, some were super romantic and so many of them were so heart touching that they choked me up big time. But I must say that French sense of humor is totally out of this world, as I guess this was my first experience from that part of the world as far as literature is concerned. It was quite a shocking experience to know that almost a majority of the couples were having extra-marital affairs. Not only almost all the husbands had a mistress or two at their disposal but also the wives had their own crushes in place and why not? But it was a beautiful experience to explore not only Paris, but also Venice, Italy, London and so many other iconic cities from a French eye. I seriously wished that I had taken French classes back in school / college to have read these amazing stories in their original language but translation takes nothing away from them for sure as they totally intrigued me. And I must say that the entire 750 pages of 153 stories were dedicated either to Love, Romance, Relationships of rich and poor alike or to the down trodden of the then society who tried their own ways to keep up with the evolving world. A few of the stories where the protagonist fought for a crumb of bread or for a small roof to rest under or to go through a harrowing experience just for a days survival was totally heart-touching and nerve wrecking experience. Also, I must mention that Guy De Maupassant is not at all easy on his audience from any standards, the brutality, the reality of the situation or the abrupt shocking endings of a quarter of his stories frustrated me to no end at times. He did leave so many of his stories to my own imagination (and that is frustrating) with such abrupt endings that I wished I was reading a complete novel more than reading a collection of short stories :). Although it is very tough to pick up one favorite from a collection of 150+ but in this case undoubtedly the very first story will remain my personal favorite for a very long long time. A story that I will never forget in my life ever for two reasons, first is that a man's best friend has a huge crush on his wife and second, that on top of that the man puts a prize on his wife for his own friend to sell her. How they settle the deal by selling / buying a women by Cubic Meters was totally hilarious. The logic, formula and how the entire deal settles was one unbelievable experience. Another thing that I loved and hated in equal measures for Guy De Maupassant's stories is their length :). Some stories are as short as one and a half pages and the longest ones are like no more than 10 odd pages at the most. What hurt me was that the stories that I was falling in love with were really too short (and lets not even talk about their endings) and a few which were really not so good, kept on going to pages and pages with again no resolution by the time they ended. But overall it was a fantastic first hand experience of reading French literature at its best, giving us an amazing picture of the times in late 19th century. Have you read Guy De Maupassant's stories? Do let me know how you liked them and if you have a favorite Maupassant novel, do tell me about it. I am big time looking forward to read one of his fledged novel at the earliest.

Lust for Life - Irving Stone (Book)

Lust for Life - Irving Stone.

My second Irving Stone (after The Agony and the Ecstasy) that made me totally fall in love with the man and the way he writes a biography. So much heart in this one even after it being called a Fictional Biography, he clarifies in the end that he has tried to keep it real to the best of his knowledge and goes on to the length of disclosing his sources with episodes that he intentionally fictionalized - how kool is that. Unfortunately I found myself totally incapable and unknowledgeable as far as the subject of the book goes and that man Vicent Van Gogh, bravo, what a man, what an amazing soul, crazy though as he wasn't cut out to be a part of this world not then not now. If not for the real hero of the biography his brother Theo and a handful of his friends from the fraternity, the man would have killed himself a decade earlier than when he actually killed himself in the end. If I am not wrong last year a movie came out on Van Gogh (At Eternity's Gate) with Willem Dafoe in lead role. The movie was amazingly beautiful of-course how could it not be when it was based on the life of worlds most loved painter. And because of that throughout the 530+ pages I had Willem Dafoe on the back of my mind playing the character of Vincent :) the way he did it in the movie is so very well captured in the book which was written in the 1930's I guess.

This book came to me as a gift from a best buddy few years back (yeah I am a slow reader) with a bunch of other biographies that he gifted me like Jobs, Iacocca, Michael Angelo etc. The last of the series and the only one which made me shed some tears and totally choked me right from the very start till the predictable ending. The way Vincent struggles right from his childhood, all he wants to do is paint and paint furiously he used to :) so much that he will make a few paintings in one day and 100's if no one stopped him and kept his supplies coming at breakneck speed. Imagine the man never wanted to sleep, eat or do anything else in life, his only motto was to paint and paint he did. Belonged to a pretty well to do family, he had his father's support to an extent but he too was asked the inevitable question that "What do you want to do with your life" and he will always reply in one word "Paint". Loved the way his brother goes out of the way in helping him throughout till his very last breath, even after going through so much in his own life - incredible brotherhood. You've got to read Van Gogh life story just for the brothers I should say as it is so incredibly beautiful story of two brothers that I haven't read anything which comes any closer to this one. Even in the movie they have captured it so beautifully although not so much in details. His love stories too are so amazing, I kept imagining the best or the worst but as the fate had it, I guess he was bound to face so much of pain which his contemporaries believed would make him the best artist ever.

As my kiddo started painting a few years back and is now taking it seriously like a career choice :) it was amazing to read the greatest artist ever's story and I kept reading a few lines here and there to her to which we both laughed :) and felt great about her going the right way. Although no one cared about Vincent while he was working on his paintings which sell now for millions of dollars but back then no one would take them at the price of a meal. Even then there were so many incredible people who came to his rescue, and helped him so much in his struggles. I wish I had a little more knowledge of the art or his contemporaries as there are so many names in the story which didn't register with me but I am sure they must be the greatest of the men from the times. But there are a few characters which stand out, one was his mentor Mauve, his Doctor and a Reverend who standby him as much as they could and ease the things for him a little bit. His love life, almost marriage and family did made me so emotional and almost made me cry for the amazing man especially the way he balances his passion with what his heart feels for others. Truly a totally amazing soul I will say.

The best part or the chapter of the entire story is when Vincent goes and lives with Coal Miners. Oh God that was totally incredible as what goes inside the coal mines, how it effects him, what he does for the situation and how it all turns out for him and the end result. Totally unbelievable. If I ever read this book again, that chapter will be one of the biggest reason for it. But there are things that I didn't expect in an Irving Stone but that I just couldn't like. Like the way his characters keep vanishing from the story, as soon as they go out of Vincent's life, they will find no mention anywhere too. For example his family, he belongs from a rich upper class family, wonder why his father never supports him (no details), after his dad passes away, wonder what mother does alone and his other siblings (no mention) only Theo comes to his rescue but my question is what happens to the family property and money? why he gets no share in that or mention of it. And Vincent on top of all that travels from one country to another even after having no income and on brothers meager support and a few more things like that which left so many questions unanswered but still I will maintain that it doesn't take away nothing from the book as the story is so heartening and engrossing that we can all overlook those gaps.

Again I will repeat myself in saying that Irving Stone' books are so much more than what they should be as far as the subject he wrote it on. Love the philosophy and the lessons that we all get to learn from the lives of some of the greatest men and women from our own history. Incredible. Have you read any of Irving's books? which one is your favorite.

Hornet Flight - Ken Follett (Book)

Hornet Flight - Ken Follett.

Disclaimer: No offence to Jeffrey Archer, Michael Crichton or even Ken Follett's fans. If you know me (even a bit) you precisely know that my loyalty towards Authors keep shifting from the one that I read last to the one whose book I hold in my hands :). But never you mind that as I am totally excited to tell you that I have read the best thriller (make it a love story) ever written and the one that made me yet again regret of becoming a Financial graduate than an Engineer :). I still remember my best friend's words who happens to be a fighter pilot as he gave me Michael Crichton's "Air Frame" that it is the best book ever based on an Air Craft and what goes around flying a plane (or crashing it). And let me tell you, that book indeed made me experience how it must feel to a pilot (almost). Now Hornet Flight, let me tell you upfront is totally a different ball game as you need to Google the image of a Hornet Moth and see for yourself what Ken has done with this story. Hornet Flight beats Air Frame down by half a dozen notches for sure, one of the most fantastic books ever that I have read and I am doubly sure that I am going to read it again before I meet my maker. I am huge fan of Jeffrey Archer too as his stories are class apart but none of his thrillers (and of-course love in there) comes any closer to this one which is best of both the worlds.

The best part about Hornet Flight was that I had no clue as usually is the case with all the books that I randomly pick up. Now imagine a scenario where a teenage Ballerina takes Hitler's forces head on and her partner in crime happens to be her brother's schoolmate. As Hitler gains power and a few countries give in to his growing empire as well as technological advancement in shooting down enemy air-crafts. A few youngsters are forced to start a sort of resistance and how it all pans out makes up for a beautiful thriller with a few love stories cooking up in the background. I never imagined Ken Follett having any heart for that sort of thing but he impressed me big time with this one, the man is a hardcore romantic I tell you. It is a 580+ page thriller which I had to finish in flat 3 days, I had to cut down on my morning walks as well as my Boss has been looking for me in office which I am cutting short for last few days by a couple of hours :) such is the magic of a Ken Follett thriller. On top of that the way he has written it (I mean technically) especially when he talks about the Air Craft or the Motorbike which is being used in the chase was totally amazing. You've got to read the book to know how a man rides a motorbike without petrol in the need of the hour and a conked off air craft rescues the world from Nazi's menace and a brave Ballerina saves the day for British. I so much want to tell so much about the story without telling anything but I guess you have to read it yourself to know it any further.

One more thing that I wanted to mention which unfortunately we do not expect specially in a thriller is that this one had quite a few relationship angles too. Beautiful they were especially the Father Son relationship between the pastor and his good for nothing son, you've got to watch out as how it turns out in the end. Siblings on the same side of fence who underrate each other. Mother Daughter relationship which totally surprised me as can there be a character which is hardly a para in the book yet it impresses the reader big time. I wish I could tell you more on them but that is what one needs to read the book for. Talk about women empowerment in Hitler's time, Ken's women are class apart and daredevils.

Have you read Hornet Flight? or any other Ken Follett thriller which you feel is the best? Do let me know about it as I have a few of his other books that I am planning to read quite soon.