Monday, December 1, 2008

The Notebook



Nicholas Sparks

Simplicity is what this book is all about.For me the naivete's, The sweetness of the book is what makes it so special.and thank god at least in this one, the guy is not that typical macho man!

The hero is
Noah,he is from a small town who is built in and out with the morals and ethics instilled in him by his father, that could not be broken even by a devastating war.Luck favours him, and again it doesn't.When the love of his life, his childhood sweetheart-Allie leaves him, after spending a beautiful summer with him and never looks back,the barriers of wealth,status,family and career stands between them and fate smirks at him .But, then again, his belated-boss leaves quite an amount of his fortune in his them.Thus he becomes able to fulfill his dreams,rebuild his dream house.And then--and then after 14 years, Allie returns to the town.
Noah and Allie are both two heart full people,close to nature.Noah likes poetry and Allie is a painter.Creation always needs inspiration, for them it's one another.At certain places i got drowned in the beauty of those
verses,the poetries are an appeal to this story.
And there are times i wondered how can two people ever feel something like this for each other.The writer gave an eternity to the story,something that truly touched me.Just by those simple words,i think any one will get convinced that true love is unending,its infinite, its unconditional.and he made some fantasy seem real,he made the illogical seem the most possible, he made the impractical seem practical.It was as if Noah and Allie were defining love all over again, the abstract thing called 'affection' suddenly bounced out in full form in front of me,as if, love is exactly that, not any less!
Probably the story might not sound that interesting, but trust me it has got much more to it. Here
Nicholas Sparks gives you that 'perfect' ending that you were always looking for!

Monday, October 20, 2008

The Broker - John Grisham


Former power broker and hotshot DC attorney, Joel Backman, is serving a 20 year jail sentence for selling military secrets. He found himself in possession of a sophisticated satellite software program, and tried to sell it to various countries. As an inept and unpopular president gets ready to leave office, corrupt CIA director, Teddy Maynard, bribes the president to pardon Joel Backman (only 6 years into his jail term). He plans to plop Backman down into a foreign country under CIA watch, and then leak his whereabouts to those countries wishing Backman dead. It is here that The Broker becomes the Italian travelogue and coffee diary. Backman is relocated to Bologna. With the help of a private tutor, he starts learning the language. He learns nouns...he learns adjectives...he learns adverbs...he learns verbs...he learns verb tenses, etc. You get the picture. Then he goes out for sumptuous meals, which are described in great detail (all at government expense, of course). Then he starts seeing the sites. He tours churches, cathedrals, towers, etc. and we get the history and description of each. And finally, he stops for a cup of coffee, cappuccino or espresso at least 5-6 times a day. Without all this the book would have been atleast 70 page shorter.


The climax to The Broker is very unsatisfying and the ending rather weak. Grisham leaves things a bit open-ended and we can only hope that it's not because we'll be seeing these characters again. There weren't many that were very likable. Hopefully Grisham will let them rest in peace. So read The Broker if you're a Grisham fan, but don't expect one of his better works.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

A Time to Kill: John Grisham


Carl Lee Hailey-a black vet- finds himself helpless after his 10yr old daughter, Tanya gets raped and beaten up by two rednecks.Tanya identifies the two and with the help of a local sheriff they are arrested.But Carl does not have faith in the Clanton justice.He would not and does not accept the verdict based on who has the better lawyer.The town reacts with horror until the girl's father takes justice into his own hands.As he gets his hands on M-16 he shoots the two, and by this process the two rapists gets killed and a deputy, severely injured.He then goes straight to his brother's lawyer Jake Brigance,to get him off.For Jake, this is the case of his career. A young lawyer, out on his own and barely making ends meet, winning this one would set he and his family up for life. And with the assistance of his old friend Lucien, a dirty smart divorce lawyer named Harry, and a surprise godsend of a paralegal nick-named “Ro-Ark”, he might just be able to see this one through.
Jake fights his way through but in this process he puts Carl's,his and his family's life at stake.Eventually the Klan gets involved so does other racist and a chaos situation is created.Burning cross,threats,slogans and banners saying "set Carl lee free" is all over the city.For days the nation sits spellbound as the defence lawyer struggles to save his client's life and then his own.The city takes a different face that no one has ever seen before.The national guard are called into the small southern town to keep the peace, and the clashes with protesters and Klan are heightening by the day. And, of course, the unavoidable problem... which way will the jury go? Can Jake maintain his sanity, his life, AND win the biggest case in his career?

This is one among the other court room dramas of Grisham.But this particular one is action packed,full of drama and suspense.You will feel your heart hammering fast along with that of Carl and Jake.Of course, you could tell where his sympathies lay, but for a first novel his ability to write impartially was very impressive.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Emma - Jane Austen

A departure from the subsequent thriller-review series underneath, this book I'm reviewing is an all-time favourite Social Comedy (the reason behind it being that this reviewer has never laid her hands on a thriller book, shame on her). Yes, yet another Jane Austen Classic, but unlike any of her other books. The heroine of this book is an exact opposite of P&P's Elizabeth Bennet. Unlike any of her other heroines, Emma Woodhouse is NOT polite, sincere, sensible or thoughtful. Tricky, huh? Well, it must've been so for Austen, because she has deemed Emma as her greatest and most favourite creation.

Getting right down to the story of the novel, Emma Woodhouse is a rich, elegant, beautiful and witty young lady of 19, who is the stereotypical "Popular Girl" of the Victorian age. She gets everything she wants, everybody loves her, and she rules. After her elder sister gets married and moves out of the house, she is the mistress of everybody, and she rather likes to think herself smarter than all other mortals, so she decided to bestow her kindness on her earthly neighbours through her best social skill:- Matchmaking! She makes all kinds of ironic and disastrous matches, creating a sort of havoc in her perfectly prim and proper society. But of course, no one can refuse her. No one except, the 38-year-old handsome, dashing, thoughtful and conveniently rich Mr. Knightley , Emma's sister's brother-in-law. He is like Emma's conscience, while Emma will only pay any heed to Mr. Knightley alone. But nothing stops her from her matchmaking, and she goes on and on trying to make other people fall in love, remaining blissfully clueless about her own true love.

This book is light, funny, witty and nothing else. It's not romance, it's obvious from the first chapter who is destined to end up with who, it's not a character in-depth analysis book, and doesn't pretend to be! It's the ultimate ancestor to romantic comedies. Those of you like that genre will love this book. But I suggest you pick up an abridged version. Because Emma in it's original classic Victorian English? Trust me, the first chapter will put you to sleep.....like it did with me!

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Misery - Stephen King


Paul Sheldon is a famous writer who has been made famous by his character Misery, a young girl who has stolen the hearts of Sheldon's devoted readers. However Paul grew to hate his Misery novels and so he kills her.

The novel opens with Paul in the care of his number one fan Annie Wilkes. She's eccentric, neurotic and quite frankly, insane. Paul had been in a car wreck while driving home from finishing his latest novel, a departure, drastic departure from his Misery series. Annie happened to find him trapped beneath his car on the side of the road and took it upon herself to rescue him. Upon realizing who he was, her all time favorite writer in the world, she took it upon herself to hold him hostage. When crazy Annie finds out what Paul has done to her beloved Misery she takes matters into her own hands to resurrect her from the dead. What follows is one of the most bone chilling accounts ever put to paper.


There are scenes within this novel that will outright horrify you. This isn't the type of scare one gets when reading about evil spirits or terrifying zombies. It is the type which will get you thoroughly surprised when reading about the scary side of human psychology. So if you want to be terrified this is the book for you.

Monday, October 6, 2008

Angels & Demons - Dan Brown

I would have to argue with samia here a bit since according to me this is Dan Browns best work. No offence dear but the plot which he puts forward in this book surpasses everything.

Brown's famous character Robert Langdon (Da Vinci Code) is introduced in this book. A professor of symbology finds himself in the worlds largest nuclear research facility CERN where a scientist has been brutally murdered. His final discovery antimatter, a powerful energy source, has disappeared only to be hidden somewhere beneath Vatican City on the eve of the election of a new pope. Who did it? An ancient legendary secret society, the Illuminati--dedicated since the time of Galileo to promoting the interests of science and condemning the blind faith of Catholicism.

Langdon joins the scientist's daughter, Vittoria, on a mad dash through some of Rome's most famous landmarks, in an effort to find the anti-matter before the Vatican is leveled. As Langdon and Vittoria set off on their investigation, they follow a trail of multiple ritualistic murders, the threatened obliteration of an entire country, the potential death of a major world religion, secret societies that go back 500 years, new scientific discoveries that will change the world, and much more. This is one page-turner which is definitely worth a read.

Digital fortress:one amazing sci-fi!!


'Digital fortress' is one among the few writings of the controversial writer of the da vinci code 'Dan Brown'.It is one book which will make you flip like mad through the pages and which will make your hair rise up.Indeed it is a thriller.The suspense that slowly builds up through out the book,comes to a thrashing end at the ending.And i think this is what makes this book so much more exciting.It is one of the best books i have ever read and in my opinion it is even better than all other books of Dan Brown,even better than the controversial two.
The plot is created surrounding NSA and its finest decrypting machine.The problem arises when this machine fails to decrypt a message from the Japanese guy Ensei Tankado.Then NSA puts Susan Fletcher to look through the problem,as it becomes a vital one:Ensei Tankado threatening to make the code public by selling it to the highest bidder. David Becker, a professor and Susan's boyfriend is sent to locate the key to Spain when Ensei Tankado dies.Thus the story rolls on.Finally the fears of the NSA come to reality,as they figure out that the message is actually a dangerous virus which entered the machine as the firewall was switched off to let the message in.
The beauty of the story is that though the context is complex you do not have to be experts in those sectors not even the basics to understand and enjoy the book.
It is a marvelous book and if you haven't read this then you have missed out a lot.In case You enjoy reading Thrillers.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

To kill a Mocking bird - Harper Lee



"Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."

Set in the small Southern town of Maycomb, To Kill a Mockingbird follows three years in the life of 8-year-old Scout Finch, her brother, Jem, and their father, Atticus--three years punctuated by the arrest and eventual trial of a young black man accused of raping a white woman. Though her story explores big themes, Harper Lee chooses to tell it through the eyes of a child (Scout). The result is a novel dealing with issues like race, class, justice, and the pain of growing up.

Like the slow-moving occupants of her fictional town, Lee takes her time getting to the heart of her tale. The begining might get a bit boring but it does show the gradual character build-up. At first the circumstances surrounding the alleged rape of Mayella Ewell, the daughter of a drunk and violent white farmer, barely penetrate the children's consciousness. Then Atticus is called on to defend the accused, Tom Robinson, and soon Scout and Jem find themselves caught up in events beyond their understanding. During the trial, the town exhibits its ugly side, but Lee offers plenty of counterbalance as well--in the struggle of an elderly woman to overcome her morphine habit before she dies; in the heroism of Atticus Finch, standing up for what he knows is right; and finally in Scout's hard-won understanding that most people are essentially kind "when you really see them." Lee won the prestigious Pulitzer Award for this book.

The God Of Small Things - Arundhati Roy


An award winning book in all its right, The God Of Small Things will take you to a different realm entirely. But it's up to you whether or not you may like that realm. The novel delves into a the lives of two young siblings in the heart of South India as they go through happiness and tragedies alike. The narrative of this novel is the most unique thing I have ever read. Hard to believe this is Arundhati Roy's first novel, and to this day remains her only novel.

We read the novel through the mindset of the two children; this takes us through very serious subject matters, but in the innocent view-point of two children, bringing a unique and almost disturbing quality to it. Also extraordinary are the nature of its central characters, Estha and Rahel, the two twin siblings who are said to be Siamese twins; but joined not at the body, but said to have "shared a single soul". If you don't read closely, this book will seem only strange and weird to you. But this book is in reality, an in-depth study of the human nature, and its primal instincts and behavior. Yet, strangely enough, this book is centered mostly on the socio-political circumstances of a post-war, communist South India. But this is only expected out of the most famous columnist in the Indian-Subcontinent, as social commentary must be a second nature to her, if not a duty.


A word of caution: this is not a light read. In fact, this is the hardest book I've ever had to read and even more so, to understand. This book deals with racism, child abuse, and at one point, incest. But you have to read through that to find out why this book enchants every adult who reads it, and is Award-Winning to say the least. No wonder readers are demanding a follow-up of this novel. After all, how many times do we come across a classic in this side of the twentieth century?

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Ami topu:Md jafar Iqbal


People think it is childish.Then i say of course it is childish,it is a children fiction and i always loved reading them.
This story is about an unfortunate teen aged boy,who lost his father and has a mother who blames him for it.But the injustice does not end with this misjudgment only,his mother also abandons and declines him.Thus he stays at in his own home like a poisonous parasite.But then his life begins to change with the new talent he discovers in himself.But luck still does not favor him....

It is a light mooded and simple book,with a plain language, but i m sure all of You'll enjoy reading it.

Love Story ~Erich Segal


This is one of my very favorites. It is written in the most simple form a book could be possibly written but holds you on to it which few books can. Love Story" is a romantic,funny, and yet tragic story, that over 35 years ago had an entire generation in love, in tears, and spouting "Love means never having to say you're sorry".
Jennifer Cavilleri and Oliver Barrett IV are two very different people and come from very different backgrounds, but their chemistry and their conversations will bring a smile to your face. They meet and fall in love in college at a library.As time passes we get to see how their love blossoms and matures as they continue dating. Oliver turns his back to his super rich family to marry Jenny. Jenny gives up her dreams of going to Paris and becoming a musician inorder to marry Oliver.They go through many hardships, and just when they feel that they have reached a point where their hard work has paid off, tragedy strikes.This book is the sappy love story that is perfect for reading anytime. When the book finally ends you will have laughed and cried. By 'cried' I means serious crying here.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Don Quixote by Miguel De Cervantes


A Spanish classic--Don Quixote by Cervantes is often called the first modern novel and many rate it as one of the best novels ever written in any language. This book reigns the first spot of most of the 'Best novels of the world'--lists. That itself stirs enough interest and curiosity for readers.
After reading a great many chivalric tales—having sold much of his land to obtain the volumes—a 50-year-old gentleman of La Mancha loses his reason. The plot and sub-plots are primarily guided by Don Quixote's obsession with knight-errants, forming acts to chivalry and participating in adventures in a manner he read in such books. Sancho serves as his squire and complements and supplements his master in every possible way. Quixote is kind at heart, his every act is inspired by a good intention, a dreamer trapped in a body that prompts him to be called the "knight of rueful countenance", a loyal lover whose never set eye on her who he so praises and desires in a chaste way! Yet he is so full of imaginary tales and characters that he lives in a make-believe world, where he mistakes windmills for monsters, herds of sheep for armies, and so on, attacks them, defends them, and Cerventes manages to weave a saga of such events in a form that identifies with allegory, fable, epic and comic drama at the same time. The dialogue between Quixote and Sancho is excellent comedy, creating a duo that will make you laugh till your tummy hurts.
However I must warn you this is a big book and the story starts in a slow pace which can easily bore a reader. Since this is a classic one must endure the fact that
they would have to read 100 pages for the establishment of the characters.

Doctors by Eric Segal

Gentlemen, I urge you to engrave this on the template of your memories: there are thousands of diseases in this world, but Medical Science only has an empirical cure for twenty six of them. The rest is...guesswork.’ Erich Segal in Doctors.

Graduating from Harvard himself this is one of the best writings of Eric Segal centering around the lives of Harvard medical students. This is one of my all time favourite writings. The story is based on the two central characters Barney Livingstone and Laura Castellano. It has Kenneth who rises above racial discrimination to excel in his field.. It has Seth who is a mad genius.. All in all it is a book about doctors who lead such a glamorous yet unglamorous life.......
The book is written in a simple and lucid language. You don't need the oxford dictionary by ur
side. All you Sidney Sheldon readers will be pleasantly surprised by the lack of u know what! The book mentions that doctors have higher suicide and drug addiction rates than the rest of the population due to the rigorous demands of their profession. We learn that many wannabe doctors give up their lives (or end up demented), as they are unable to cope with the intense pressure of their work. We learn the inner secrets of what happens when doctors goof up in their practice and the politics that affects even this profession. Concepts like euthanasia and doctor’s ethics are touched upon, not to mention the adrenaline of the operating room. There is a lot of medical knowledge to be found here and many exciting hospital room scenes.
All in all doctors is one of the great master peaces written by none other than a legend itself. It is one of the best books I have read . And when you do close the book you are going to be enthralled by its great plot and storyline. so enjoy!

Friday, September 26, 2008

AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS

By Jules Verne

Whatever any one might say,but I absolutely loved this book.Indeed,it is famous for a reason. It is a rather simple story,something that might remind you of Enid Blyton or Roald Dahl.But of course in a mature way.
It is a very informative,knowledgeable and an extremely well written book.You will find yourself traveling through out the world along with Phileas Fogg.We get to see Fogg passing through different cultures and also saving a young women from being burned alive. And you also get to learn a lot of geography and history,while being quite unaware of that fact,and i think that is what makes this book so cool.

If you find it child like, then i bet you find Agatha Christie,Rowling,R.L. Stevenson extremely child like as well.And so I'd suggest you not to read the book.

Otherwise, i think you should rush and grab a copy,because this book totally rocks!

Sense & Sensibility-Jane Austen


Her first book ever published, Sense & Sensibility greatly reflects upon the true writing style of Austen. Like Pride & Prejudice, the meaning of this novel too, lies in its title. This story is about the conflict between Sense and Sensibility. The two main characters in the novel are Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, two beautiful sisters of elegant birth but of little fortune. Elinor, extremely mannered and reserved, portrays Sense while Marianne, lively and passionate portrays Sensibility.

Elinor deeply loves Edward Ferarrs, the brother of her sister-in-law; a man who is equally reserved and shy as Elinor herself. Elinor never quite manages to tell Edward about her feelings. This brings a high price, for one day she finds out that Edward has become engaged to another girl.

Marianne, who lives for passion, finds exactly what she wants. John Willoughby, a handsome and dashing bachelor, has almost everything in common with Marianne. The two are open and ardent in their love until their behavior becomes too scandalous and arrogant. They despise the 35-year-old bachelor Colonel Brandon, a man who has neither youth nor passion. Colonel Brandon forms an intimate and deep friendship with Elinor, and at the same time is enchanted with Marianne, who resembles his long lost love. Marianne's dreams are torn away from her as Willoughby betrays her shockingly and marries another girl for money.

So who wins in the end in terms of a happy ending? Sense or Sensibility? The answer is the same as almost all of Austen's other books: A balance between the two. Both the sisters come to terms with their own selves and realize their mistakes and finally, repair the rift between the two of them to help each other through their miseries. And both of them find true love and happiness in the end, in a way none of them had ever imagined. And thus Austen concludes with the fact that while both reserve and passion are important, too much of one can destroy any kind of relationship.

As far as personal opinion goes, I don't like this novel all too much. Though it has a great moral and storyline, the ending almost destroys the whole point of the novel. In my opinion the characters in the novel had a lot more room for development and the ending did none of them justice, especially Elinor and Marianne. Also, if you're looking for a romantic read like Pride and Prejudice, this book is not for you, because the book is more about the analysis of the characters of the two sisters than their love stories. Nonetheless it's a good read if you already like Jane Austen's style and aren't afraid of a somewhat disappointing ending.

Mansfield Park



Though not one of the most remarkable works of Austen,Mansfield Park is a novel which rose much interest among the mass

Yes,those of you who like to read classics, this probably is not one of the best boast in favour of your interests but what the hell,Austen is Austen!

Fanny Price,the goody good young girl from a poor family starts living with her aunt and her family.the Bertrams.From the beginning she grows this soft corner for her Cousin Edmund.
Fanny is not the gossip raising beauty, and nor much of an outspoken girl,but since she is the heroin at the end every one goes in her favour.
When the new hotshot brothers and sister Mary and Henry Crawford arrive in her neighbour,every one get drugged by their charm,and steps towards derailment.But obviously none of this could touch our Fanny.
Henry Crawford at last becomes aware of the unconventional beauty in Fanny and proposes marriage to her.But our righteous and shy fanny,lost her heart to Edmund who gave his to Mary Crawford.being Refused by Fanny,frustrated Henry Crawford elopes and has a one night stand with Edmund's married sister Maria
Reality dawns on everyone and the spotlight again returns to Fanny

This is supposed to be a love story,but the mutual love is caged in only Chap 5b of a book containing 58 chapters.And it is in this Chapter that Edmund like everyone else figures out that no none suits her better than Fanny Price.And they live happily ever after.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

The Shining---Stephen King



The King of Horror brings another book which makes you want to peer out from your blanket to see if there are any spooky strangers looming over you! Some people might not find it as scary as I did but it did make me keep my lights on before I went to sleep for an entire fortnight!!

The story begins with the Torrance family embarking on a month-long retreat into complete isolation when Jack Torrance signs on to be the winter custodian of the Overlook Hotel in Colorado. Jack takes some personal demons with him to a hotel full of malevolent, ghostly spirits. A recovering alcoholic who, in the last couple of years, lost his job and broke his little boy's arm in a state of drunken fury. He thinks the time alone with his wife and son will allow him to find peace.The only person really clued into the dreadful possibilities is his son Danny. Danny has "the shine," a gift which allows him to see and know things he cannot possibly know; it is a powerful gift which the Overlook jealously desires for itself. As the days pass, the Overlook exerts more and more of an influence on Jack, exploiting his weaknesses, increasing his paranoia and basically turning him into a murderous new tool at the hotel's disposal.

Even after 30 years after its publication The shining still remains one of the most popular works by King. Its vivid and gruesome descriptions about the horrors of the hotel is sure to make anyone grip the book a little bit tighter.

As the crow flies---Jeffrey Archer


Jeffrey Archer's amazing storytelling ability, completely enchanting characters, and surprising twists all combine to make a totally enjoyable novel. AS THE CROW FLIES is no exception.Archer uses his rags-to-riches theme with Charlie Trumper, young barrow boy from the Whitechapel area of London's East End. Charlie masters the fine craft of becoming the best fruit and vegetable man in all of the East End, a talent he gets from his grandfather and one that stays with him for life and gives him his greatest thrill.The reader watches Charlie grow from eight-year-old urchin to World War I soldier and chairman of his own London department store. Along the way both triumph and tragedy are his companions, but it is his bitter and hate-filled feud with the Trentham family that will leave you aghast and shocked, but always mesmerized and turning the pages.
An interesting part is Archer narrates the entire story from the direct point-of-view from all the major characters.Having 800 pages, though the book might turn a bit boring at parts but that will not deter a reader to put the book down.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

A subduction of enthusiasm:Almost Heaven


Yes you guessed it right! This book of Mcnaught was not very impressive.

As it was one of the '19Th century Britain' based writing of hers and as it contained the widely appreciated characters of her book- 'something wonderful'- the readers were obviously expecting more..but alas it was a disappointment!
Elizabeth Cameron's undeserving fate,her barbaric uncle tries to marry her off with any other hardly acceptable bachelor eligible or not, after her half brother disappears suddenly leaving Elizabeth half drowned in his debts.2years earlier,Elizabeth, a ravishing young beauty had a very successful debut and also got offers from most eligible suitors of England but her reputation got destroyed as soon as her name got linked with Ian Thornton.Unable to accept this, her half brother Robert tries to kill Ian and after being humiliated continuously,flees.
Due to some flaws by his secretary,Ian suddenly finds himself serving Elizabeth as a house guest when she appears at his door step at his Scot home, claiming Ian to be her agreeable suitor.This is were the romance actually starts off,at least from Elizabeth's side. Then before you can settle with this idea,or even before Elizabeth falls in love with Ian,they are married!Here starts Mcnaught's famous and obvious twists,we find that Ian was the reason for Robert's disappearance.
As expected the story ends happily,ever after.
It might not be that bad as i am claiming it to be,it could just be me who is extremely tired of the same kind of plot and the same sorts of heroes and heroines of Mcnaught's books.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Tell Me Your Dreams--Sydney Sheldon


The book is based on one of the most bizarre murder trials where three women are suspects. Ashley, Toni Prescott and Alette---three women who have nothing in common are shown as co-workers in a Global Computer Graphics. As one goes deeper into the book we get introduced to the controversial multiple personality disorder(MPD) syndrome which shows us that the three characters are more connected then we can possibly imagine. After some confusing chapters in the beginning we get to see some high paced court room drama. However towards the end the excitement dies down a bit and one might feel a bit disappointed. Some readers might notice that Sheldon took a new turn in his writing in this book.

Nevertheless it is a psychological thriller which is worth a read.For everyone who doesn't know what MPD is, TELL ME YOUR DREAMS will surely be a surprise.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

The Master of the Game--Sydney Sheldon


We all know Sydney Sheldon for his page-turning and twisted plots. Sheldon keeps his signature style and brings us MASTER OF THE GAME which will surely keep you at the edge of your seat making you want to know what exactly happens next!! The story begins in 1883 where we meet the young and ambitious Jamie McGregor on his way to Africa to make his fortune in diamonds. Overcoming duplicity and hardships he finally makes it rich and starts the Kruger-Brent company. Enters Kate McGregor, his daughter, whose entire life spans around how to make this company one of the worlds largest conglomerates. Her thriving ambition doesnt get deterred by any of the thorns in her path. Kate -the master of the game- manupulates her kins and competitions alike to see her company thrive in the corporate world.

Sheldon takes us on an amazing journey told in an enticing and binding manner.You might not like all the characters but that surely would not stop you from liking the book. The twists and turns of each character and how one is connected to the other by improbable forces create a book that is not only entertaining but spellbinding.

Stephen King's PET SEMATARY





Review for Pet Sematary

by Dolan (old).

This review has been rated 8.5 (by 2 users).
Doctor Louis Creed takes up a new position as head medic at the University of Maine. He moves his family away from the fume-choked dangers of Chicago to the rolling hills and meadows of Maine.The house seemed perfect with a huge field out the back for daughter Ellie and baby Gage to grow and play in.
Then their was the old guy across the street, Jud Crandall, who Louis became to know and think of him as a father. After settling in Crandall takes the Creed family a trip to the local Pet Sematary which is located deep in the woods behind the Creed house. A weird and suspicious looking place built by children with broken hearts. Its a this point that Louis notices the dead fall on the far end of the Pet Sematary which separated these woods from the Indian woods. It occurred to Louis that this dead fall seemed to "convenient..too artful, to perfect, for the work of nature."
Then when the University season starts and Louis has his first real day at work, a dying boy is brought to him. Victor Pascow had been run down by a truck and when Louis is momentarily alone with the victim Pascow says, " In the Pet Sematry, Its not the real sematary, The soil of a man's heart is stonier". That night Pascow reapears in a dream and Louis goes sleepwalking to the Pet Sematary. In this dream Pascow warns him that over that dead fall is an evil place with the ability to resurrect.

When Halloween comes Crandall's wife has a heart attack and Loius comes to the rescue as he uses his medical expertise to help the old women. This leaves Crandall saying "Louis, I owe you one".

Thanksgiving day comes and with the family away to the Chicago visiting relatives Louis is given the news that Louis's cat has been run down on the road outside. Its now that Crandall takes Louis beyond the Pet Sematary to bury his cat

The next day the cat comes back to life but its not the cat they once knew... The real horror comes when Louis decides to play God not once but twice, when its his son who is killed out on the road. And for this there is hell to pay. Pet Sematary is a disturbing novel, the kind of subversive, realistic horror that exemplifies great horror fiction. It's the story of a man who forgets he can't play god, that despite the miracles of science and the life-support systems that can prolong life, at best, he can only postpone the inevitable for a very short time.

But what if man could return the dead to life?

Submitted on July 16, 2003.

The Stephen King Net is created and maintained by marc hoffman. © marc hoffman, 1998, 2000. All rights reserved. Home. Feedback. Images and excerpts from Stephen King's works © Stephen King.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

A sneak peak into Kane & Abel--Jeffrey Archer


The book dates back to pre-first world war era,in a small town in Poland,where a child discovers or rather delivers a newborn from an ailing mother who dies in childbirth.Mistaking it for a new animal his family could eat,the child brings the new born into his family,where his mother readily accepts him as the ninth member of the family,calling him Wladek.As fate would have it ,one day the baron of the city adopts him to offer "competition"to his son in studies. A thousand miles away a son is born to a rich family of bankers in united states, christened William Kane.Both these children live completely different lives,one in riches of the bankers’ family,while the other has to live in dungeons of his own castle during the siege of war saw by Russians.Wladek’s world is shattered when the baron dies after being held captive in his own castle for nearly four years,while William loses his father to titanic. While Wladek migrates to U.S. illegally,William can already be seen fidgeting with hundreds of dollars in his ledger book.Their lives run critically parallel to each other , until one day they cross paths.After a strange turn of events which deals with what is called the "period of depression" of ’thirties.Wladek ,now called Abel Rosnovski,who is the manager of a defunct hotel which is mortgaged to kane’s bank holding William Kane responsible for all his misfortunes ,swears to destroy kane ,a man who holds the chair to one of the biggest banks in U.S. The sequence of events that turn up after this, as well as the description of world war 2 ,when the two men meet once again has been dealt with possibly in the best manner by Archer. the book is descriptive enough to the extent of a moving picture but has the same pace,though. The end a rather critical one ,is agreeable at the same time.

Strong points : powerful narration.fast paced,sensitive handling of matters

Flip side : the author seems to have taken a leaf out of Hindi movies, about the rivals’
children to fall in love with each other and marry against
their wishes.The world isn't
that small,or is it?

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Perfect-Judith mcnaught

This is one of the better books of Judith Mcnaught.Though most people like Paradise among her modern writings but I personally like this particular book as it has got a great plot.The story is pretty different from all other writings of hers.

This book is all about a love saga between the notorious convict and also a famous actor Zacharia Benedict and a small town school teacher Julie Mathison.The story starts off when Zach escapes the prison and takes Julie as a hostage at a deserted place in Colorado.At that lone cottage in Colorado the romance begins and finally as Zach lets her go we experience the first turn in the story.
Zacharia was a cynical,wary,and increasingly attracted to Julie.Passion was about to capture them both in its fierce embrace...but the journey to trust,true commitment,and proving Zack's innocence was just beginning.........

"PERFECT is the prfect escape novel....Judith Mcnaught keeps the reader engaged from beginning to end............." ----The Advocate(Baton Rouge)