Chanakya's Chant - Ashwin Sanghi (Book)

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Chanakya's Chant

Since I read the "Shiva Trilogy" by Amish - got hooked to this kindda books, After reading all of him - moved on to Ashwin Sanghi as he too have written quite a few related to Indian mythology. 

Now in comparison to Amish - Ashwin's pace is furios and this one like his first work (Rozabal Line) is no less then a perfect thriller - Imagine I finished it in flat two days (About 440+ pages). Chanakya has always remained one of my favorite characters from history - the king maker and this one is written in two parallel plots - One the Original Chanakya and his story with a parallel track of a Pandit who has got the powers of Chanakya in modern time - How? you've got to read the book. The theory given by him as how to get that is amazing and once you read the book - you tend to actually believe it and calculate how to achieve it too wink emoticon.

Even otherwise - it works like a perfect thriller with so much going on at a break neck pace that its simply impossible to put it down. Am glad that I picked it up over a lazy weekend and finished it in a jiffy. Now moving on to his next work on the life of "Krishna" another of my favorite character from Indian mythology.

Angela's Ashes - Frank McCourt (Book)

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Angela's Ashes

Highly inpired by "The Diary of a young girl", the miserable chilhood of Frank McCourt (Author) in his own words - starting from his 4th year till 19th. A very painful story of the whole family's struggles from America to Ireland and his journey back to States. It was a breeze of a read as excellently written - the way they speak is the way he has written it. It took me no time to finish this one - although it isnt half as good as Anne Frank's diary as that is out of this world - but still is pretty good in comarison. I wonder what is with these authors - what have they got against India that we are always shown in bad light - cant deny the references as they are actually true even today but it breaks my heart to read all that crap.

A good one time read though. 

A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens (Book)

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A Tale of Two Cities

Time and again - some books have proved that I am not cut out to read "Classics" - this one too was no different. As it came highly recommended by some of my close friends and shockingly it took me bloody 11 days to finish this one. You can imagine my plight - I was wondering is there something wrong with the book?? I mean Dickens? or is it me to who this didnt make any sense. Barring a very few pages on Lucie's love life and tragedy or Dr Mannette's part - almost nothing else worked. But as the tradition goes - Never left a book midways - I somehow finished it. I also believe that one shouldnt write off one writer based on one book read - so have picked up "Great Expectations" as my second read from Charles - that I am going to pick after I recover from this one ;)

I would love to know from others who have read this one recently as how did they like it?

Satyajit Ray - The Inner Eye - Biography of a Master Film-Maker - W Andrew Robinson

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The Inner Eye

Started reading it and I just want it never to end.
If you have read it or if you have loved any of his works (I saw them all back to back last year) and have blown away like I did. You will know what I am going through right now.
This one is a encyclopedia on Cinema (World Cinema).
A must must read for all "Cinema" lovers.
Let me finish, cherish, delve in it some more and come back with my thoughts.
Imagine he was inspired / touched deeply by Kurosawa's "Roshomon" - And it is just unbelievable to read what Kurosawa thought of Ray's first movie "Pather Panchali" and his other works - Kurosawa Said: ‘Not to have seen the cinema of Ray
means existing in the world without seeing the sun or the moon.’ I just cant imagine what Ray must have gone through reading those terrific words from someone he looked up to for inspiration is simply "WOW".

Unbelievable is the legend of Satyajit Ray who brought India its first Oscar and guess who pushed the Academy to honor him with one? Martin Scorcese in company with Ismail Merchant.
This book is like a encyclopedia on Ray not (Only) because of what it contains but also because of its last 70+ pages dedicated to his Filmography, Writings, Articles, Radio Shows etc. They have lined up almost everything he has done in his life with full credits to everyone. Thats what makes it a collectors item.

But the most important part of this Biography is that it makes sense (more of it) to those who have seen his movies - As I mentioned I saw them all back to back some time ago - they all came flashing in my memory as I read about their making in the book.

Do not miss this at any cost.
Go get it and love him more.
Now that I have finished a book on him - Time for me to read his books. 

Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden (Book)

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Memoirs of a Geisha

Everytime a book comes to a close - its such an amazing good and bad feeling that I just want to go on and on and on... But as everything has to come to a conclusion - this one does too.

Its futile to say this one too became or becomes one of my alltime favorite reads as there is so much amazing literature yet to be picked up by me. But right after reading "Diary of a young girl (Anne Frank)" - this one has an uncanny resembles to that one but with a superb happy ending (or we can call it never ending). If you havent read this - you've got to now - as it is totally amazing account of Geisha's life in age old Japan which is too good to be missed. The characters are so amazingly carved out that I am now dieing to see them in flesh (Guess need to see the movie now which was highly acclaimed).