Book Post

Psst... I have finished my work for the day. I am feeling guilty to go home right now. So, I forced a tag on myself!
Books always make the most feel-good blog topics. Actually, Hindi film trivia make the best. But, books are second best!

So, here goes from Dilnavaz's tag... and I will restrict myself to English books only. Not for any other reason except that I don't want to translate!
(Actually, I will do a separate post on the same tag for Bengali books later.)

One Book That Changed Your Life
Our Films, Their Films - Satyajit Ray.
Before this book, I thought Ray wrote detective stories for young people and had made a couple of pretty interesting films. After this book, he became a subject of life-long study and admiration.
Anybody who does not agree that Ray is the greatest film-maker in the world should read this book. If you still disagree, give me your address. I will come and kill you with a blunt instrument.

The Book You Have Read More Than Once
Kane and Abel - Jeffrey Archer. The Prodigal Daughter - Jeffrey Archer.
Actually, two books of a century-spanning saga, chronicling the enmity between William Kane and Abel Rosnovski - and then carrying on with the adventures of Abel's daughter (after marrying Kane's son) who takes a shot at US Presidency. You can open either of them at any page, read for 10 minutes, put down and feel happy.

The Book You Would Want On A Desert Island
The Complete Calvin and Hobbes Box Set.
Hopefully, a deserted island does not mean one in which there's nothing to eat or drink - but one in which there is nobody else and hence nothing to do! So, as I wait for a rescue ship to come for me, I will go around with the world's smartest six-year old and his stuffed tiger. Trying to figure out which of them I am closer to.
And as a friend commented, I may have gone from Calvin to Calvin's dad in the last one week!

One Book That Made You Laugh
Swami and Friends - R K Narayan.
The gang of boys from Malgudi could well have been from Maniktala. Albert Mission School could well have St Lawrence. And when I laugh at W S Swaminathan, I am actually laughing at myself!

One Book That Made You Cry
Problems in Physics - I. E. Irodov.
This is de rigeur for any IIT aspirant and I recall, this book went out of stock in Calcutta in the mad rush! I - unfortunately - bought the book way too early and had to suffer it for two years of preparation for IIT. And all I got for my troubles was a rank which was longer than the pin-code of Kanpur.

One Book That You Wish You Had Written
The Class - Erich Segal.
The life and times of five Harvard graduates are so evocatively chronicled that I find almost exact matches with my cohort. And, of course - the character of Andrew Eliot is so close to me that it is almost unbelievable.

One Book You Wish Had Never Been Written
The Great Indian Dream - Arindam Chaudhuri.
No explanations required.

One Book You Are Currently Reading
Amitabh: The Making of a Superstar - Sushmita Dasgupta.
This lady decided that she has had enough of making up lies to go and watch movies. So, she went and convinced her PhD guide to let her analyse the impact of Amitabh Bachchan on Indian society. Now, she went and watched all movies on the pretext of doing research for her thesis! This book is a more reader-friendly version of the thesis - and eminently readable!

One Book You Have Been Meaning To Read
Sacred Games - Vikram Chandra.
I have postponed the purchase of the hard-cover edition because I might just drop this King Kong of a book on my six-day old son and squash him!

Now for the second tag... Here are the rules:
1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next three sentences. Include the book and author along with these instructions.
5. Don't you dare dig for that "cool" or "intellectual" book in your closet! Just pick whatever is closest.

The Life & Times of Miss Jane Marple - Anne Hart.
"Miss Marple was very fond of her son Roderick and had once helped him over a matter of money missing from a school locker. In 4.50 from Paddington, Elspeth cuts short a visit to Ceylon and help Jane unmask a murderer.
Besides 'Dear Raymond', the most important men in Miss Marple's life were officers of the law."
(Yes, yes, yes... After reading my plaintive cries, Nilendu has located this book for me - and sent it all the way from USA!)

I tag:
1. Udayan
2. Nilendu - he would do well not to do it on his Oracle blog but on my comments page.
3. Mad Momma