Of thick tomes and Fat books!

Here are some book suggestions for those of you who are not too particular about catching the latest bestseller, yet are looking tomaximise your book reading experience.All these books are thick tomes which will please the hard-core booklover no end!

These eleven books are also the most issued out booksfrom our library (excluding seasonal demands for the latestbestseller!!):

1. The Mammoth Book of Legal Thrillers.

2, The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror.

3. The Mammoth Book of Roaring Twenties Whodunnits.

4. Pulp Fiction; The Dames.

5. Sacred Games, Vikram Chandra

6. Gone With the Wind, Margaret Mitchell

7. Scarlett, Alexandra Ripley

8. The Bear and the Dragon, Tom Clancy

9. The Chronicles of Narnia

10. The Lord of the Rings.

11. My country, My Life. LK Advani.

There has also been some change in our Plans,We now send off 6 books a month in each of our deliveries for our Super Readers. Also, we have changed the Relaxed Reader delivery. It shall now comprise of a single delivery of four books for the enitremonth. The change has been brought about due to popular demand by thereaders, who wanted to have minimal interface with the courier guys!The subscription fee remains the same at Rs. 300.Of all our plans, it is no doubt the Super Reader plan which is themost popular! But Surprisingly, the one that follows next on thepopularity charts is the Turtle Reader plan-which gives you a singlebook in a month.While we feel the Turtle plan is no value for money, when compared toour other plans, and quite often try to make the reader change her/hismind about the plan, several readers we get calls from say that theTurtle Reader plan suits them the most. Our Turtle readers are not too particular about catching the latest bestseller, and just wish for abit of reading to relax and divert themselves for a short time eachday. In my next post, Ishall try to suggest some more great value books specially for our turtle readers! Do write in with your suggestions....

India’s Parker Pyne? Saurbh Katyal promises many more adventures of Vishal Bajaj.

‘No Flying From Fate’ is a new detective fiction title which is doing quite well in our library.

In an upcoming Book Reading session, I shall be reading excerpts from Saurbh Katyal’s murder mystery, “No Flying From Fate,” as the author himself is in Bangalore and would not be able to come for the reading.

Having found the book very interesting—combining as it did my two favourite genres of detective fiction and humour, I decided that I must get to know Saurbh better.

I requested him to answer a few questions about himself and the book.

Here are some excerpts from the e-conversation we had

1. The book jacket says you worked in the corporate world before deciding to become a real-estate consultant in order to spend more time to write. This would have been a huge decision. Where was this, and was there any single moment/incident that made you decide to leave the job?

SAURBH: After my MBA, I worked for three and a half years in an international property consultancy. The decision to quit and start my own business was made to allow me more freedom in my life. Writing reflects a part of that freedom. The idea of being an entrepreneur had always appealed to me, but I guess one fine day I decided that I wanted to work for myself instead of someone else, and that was it.


2. What other fiction have you written?

SAURBH: I used to write fiction for US-based magazines and e-zines during my graduation and post graduation days. There was a four year hiatus once I started working. I resumed writing in December 2008 when I started No Flying from Fate.


3. How long did it take you to write 'No Flying from Fate"?

SAURBH: It took me more than nine months to complete No Flying From Fate.


4. What part of the novel do you like best?

SAURBH: There are a lot of parts in the novel that I enjoyed writing. If I have to pick one, then I guess it would be the turbulence caused in the protagonist’s mind when he meets his ex, Aditi.


5. How much of Vishal Bajaj is autobiographical? Have you ever harboured a wish to be a private detective?

SAURBH: I read somewhere that the first novel is always autobiographical and I agree with it. In fact, when I started writing, I knew there was this new bunch of Indian writers who had over exploited the misunderstood adolescence / nostalgic college days/ first job experiences setting. I didn’t want to write another novel like that. That’s why I chose a murder mystery with the main protagonist a private detective.
It would be hard to quantify just how much of Vishal Bajaj is autobiographical, but I will not deny that he has certain similarities to me.
I guess there must have been a subconscious desire to be a private detective lurking somewhere, or this novel wouldn’t have happened.


6. Will more adventures of Vishal Bajaj follow? Can we expect a series of adventures, with Bajaj as the hero?

SAURBH: Oh yes. I have already started working on the second book, with the same protagonist.


7. What sort of books do you like to read? Any favourite author you feel you have been influenced by?

SAURBH: I am very catholic when it comes to books. I can literally read anything under the sun. Some of my favourite authors are John Fowles, James Clavell and Graham Greene.

8. What made you choose Gyaana books as the vehicle for your debut in the literary world?

SAURBH: My introduction to Gyaana was serendipitous. I came into contact with Divya through a group she runs on linkedin. I was on the verge of completing my book, and she was on the verge of launching Gyaana Books. I sent the sample chapters to her, along with some other publishers. All of them replied in positive, asking for the complete manuscript, but what I liked about Divya’s response was that she was extremely meticulous in her initial feedback.
I was still undecided about Gyaana, since there were a number of publishers who had shown interest in publishing the novel. I think it was during my interaction with Divya that I became convinced that she was a perfectionist, and was putting much effort and dedication in building this brand. Her passion for Gyaana Books was evident, and I knew that although they were a new publisher, my manuscript was in safe hands. And I can safely say that my confidence has not been misplaced. I am delighted by their professionalism.

Thank you Saurbh for taking the time to answer my questions.
Here’s looking forward to many more adventures of Vishal Bajaj! If you would like to hear excerpts from the book, and even buy copies at great offers, please do drop by at the Akshara Theatre on the 26th of June 6pm onwards.

The publishers, Gyaana Books, will also be releasing their new title The Dollmakers’ Island, by Anuradha Kumar.

All Gyaana titles are available for sale to our readers at a special discount of 10%. Anuradha Kumar’s book shall be available at an inaugural 20% discount. Simply write to us with your queries. Of course all these books shall be available at the Book Reading as well.

Do come if you can make it

Tulika Books Blogathon

This blog post is for Tulika's Blogathon, where they're asking people to recall and write in rhymes, chants and songs they sang when they were kids:).
Well, mine is one my mother used to sing to me, which she continues to sing for my daughters, and which remains a favourite with them.
It is in Punjabi, and although both my daughters don't understand the Punjabi words, they enjoy the actions that accompany this song. So here goes:

Jhoote Maiyya, Amm Pakke Pakkaiyan,
Meethe Meethe (child's name here) ke,
Khatte Khatte (parent's/friend's/sibling's name) ke,
Khatte Khatte (more peoples' names) ke, (AND THIS LINE CAN BE REPEATED AS MANY TIMES:) AS YOU WANT TO MAKE THE RHYME AS LONG AS YOU WANT!)

Boodhi Mai, Neri Aayi,
Charkha Puni Chukle.

The transliteration would go somewhat like this, though I'm no expert:):

Come child and swing, There are mangoes for us to eat,
Sweet ones for you, sour for everyone else.

Hey old woman, there's a storm brewing,
So pick your spinning wheel and other stuff and set it aside.


The poem obviously makes the child feel special, since she/he is the favourite one being showered with the sweet mangoes, while all the others get sour ones! I remember that this was the best part of the poem...suggesting all the people who should get the 'khatta' ones!


The actions that accompany this rhyme involve the child being swung on the feet of the adult singing the song..and in the last line, the child is, like the charkha, picked high into the air!
----------------------------------------------------
those of you who have memories of similar poems from your childhood, do go onto the Tulika blog and put in your own posts:)

http://tulikapublishers.blogspot.com/2010/06/blogathon-4-rhymes-chants-and.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed

Books Have the Power to Move Us So Much!

When one’s inbox is usually full of emails of complaints of readers—book deliveries reaching late, books lower down the queue arriving, newsletter updates not received.....it is indeed a pleasant change to get an email from a reader describing how he has been deeply moved by a book he has read from our library.

The book is Kishwar Desai’s ‘Witness the Night: Sometimes the Truth is Too Much to Bear’. A new addition to our stock, the book is about 14-year old Durga, who is a suspect for the mass murder of a family. Against all odds, it is a Simran, a social worker from Delhi, who believes that she may be more sinned against than sinning!

The person who sent me the email is Virendra Malik, a regular reader of our library!
Here is what Virendra had to say, and coming as it did, on the first Navratra of the year(I Am late in posting this), I think his email was very apt!

“Hi I recently borrowed "Witness the Night" by Kishwar Desai from www.bookmeabook.com. The book is based on female foeticide and female infanticide. The portrayal in the book, of the way females are treated in some pockets of our country made me want to throw up. Why is it that in the book little Durga and Sharda have to suffer so much? Just because they were girls and they survived the attempt to kill them during their child birth. Durga, as a nine year old keeps a little skeleton hand in her pencil box as it is of her elder sister who was not allowed to live and buried in the village fields as an infant. The parents were educated, the richest people in town. Their sons were not any better than their daughters, in terms of qualities, yet, the parents look for an NRI bride and treat the daughters pitiably.

Feed the girl child with opium, husk and drown them in milk, or else bury them in the village field to be eaten by dogs or ploughed down by tractors. My GOD!!!!!!

Made my stomach churn! Are we Indians so cruel? We pray to the GODDESS in the Navratras and kill the GODDESS in our home! Utterly shameful!!! I was so aghast and disturbed that I held my little daughter’s hand the whole night. She was the little soul that gave me solace tonight. It is only when we ill-treat our GODDESS at home like this that people like Ramnath and Manubhai come along.

An Essential and compelling read. Makes you think - is life really like that?”
Virendra, we need more people thinking like you do!! Desai’s book is one I could not read without feeling squeamish!

While we have come a long way, and many modern, city dwelling, emancipated women argue against reservation on the basis that they are no less than men, we need the women’s reservation bill, the reserved seats in buses, the 5 extra points for the girl child in Nursery Admissions, as nominal recognition of the basic anomaly in our society. What do you think?

You can find the link to the book at http://www.bookmeabook.com/book/show/id/5340

Click on the small L icon to connect to Librarything and get the detailed description of the book.

Gyaana Books Title: Of Wooing, Woes and Wanderings.

BookMeABook was present at the launch of Gyaana Books, a new publishing venture by Divya Dubey.

Divya has come out with three books in the first list of Gyaana Books. One is a set of stories by Divya herself (more of which I would like to write about in a subsequent post), another is a racy and comical detective novel, and the third a novel about an ‘oilman’, called Of Wooing, Woes and Wanderings!

Now, to begin with I did not know what to expect from the novel, but it turned out to be quite the surprise out of the three. It is a fun read, and we decided to catch up with the author, Amitabha Chaterjee, and ask him about the whole experience of being a first time author!

Q. Is 'Of Wooing, Woes and Wanderings' your first work of fiction?

Amitabha Chaterjee: It is my first published work, though as a matter of chronology, I had written another story before this one. This second one went before the first.

Q. You graduated from IIT Delhi, but became, as you call it, 'an oilman'. Do elaborate on exactly what you are doing.

Amitabha Chaterjee: Oil and oilfield related companies generate a strong response in campus interviews at the IITs and other engineering colleges. In my time, there were 200+ applicants for 2 open positions for the company I interviewed with.
As an oilfield engineer, I have travelled to places where the only way to tell the road is by the tyre-marks, where the vehicles are kept switched on all through winter, because if you switched them off, they would freeze and never start up again, and where no one spoke any of the languages I knew.
My job primarily deals with oil exploration—figuring out where the oil is, and how to get it to the surface. I have lived in 7 different countries around the world so far, 1-3 years at a time.

3. How long did it take you to write this novel?

I started writing some parts many years back, without the intention to write a novel; mainly because there was nothing else to do in my leisure time (I was in Oman in a desert oil camp where I struggled to spend twenty dollars a month buying chocolates, there was just nothing else around.) Once I got serious, it took me about 3 months to write and another 3 to edit.

4. What part of the novel do you like best?

I like the initial part in Venezuela, a country that has few equals in my mind, so different and so beautiful – both the landscape and the women.
I particularly enjoyed writing about Rajarshi’s love pangs amidst the Ancient Egyptian temples along the Nile, from Luxor to Aswan.
And I love the last bit where all of Rajarshi’s priorities come to a clash and he has to figure a way out.

5. What sort of books do you like to read? Any favourite author you feel you have been influenced by?

I enjoy a wide variety, ranging from the classics, all time greats from Marquez, Tagore, Hesse to lighter, closer to the heart gems from R.K.Narayan as well as contemporary fiction, both literary and commercial.
I am sure I have been influenced by many authors, though I must confess that I stopped reading for the months that I was writing, in order for the voice of my protagonist to remain consistent.

6. What made you choose Gyaana books as the vehicle for your debut in the literary world?

Because their response was the most immediate. They said: – Yes we like it and are willing to publish, while a first time author often gets no reply or, if he is really lucky, ‘no’ as a reply. Then again, there are always the Adigas.
And once Gyaana decided to publish, things moved so fast that the next thing I knew, the book was out.

7. What is the first story you wrote, about?

It’s a story that attempts to explore a man’s infinite wish to find expression in life of who he thinks he is in the grand scheme of things, and his finite ability to actually find it.

Thanks Amitabha, for taking the time out to chat with us! We wish your book finds great success!!

‘Of Wooing, Woes and Wanderings’ is available not only in our library, but also for sale, with a 10% initial discount--which makes it a steal at Rs.225.
To order your copies, home delivered free of cost in Delhi and NCR, please email your orders to librarian@bookmeabook.com.

Looking forward to 26th January 2010

These days, as I commute to work every day, I am often delayed at Rajpath, where practice for the 26th January Parade is going in full swing. Though I am usually quite put off by delays in the morning, as they create a domino effect on the rest of my day, this delay I bear happily!

The Parade always instils a feeling of patriotism in my mind. However unmindful we are of our Nationalism the rest of the year, January brings us this reminder of our country’s strength—both military and cultural! The crispness of the uniforms of the jawans, the colour of the school children’s costumes and the beauty of the jhankis (the tableaux), all reiterate the grandeur of our wonderful country!

Of course, for me the Republic Day parade also brings nostalgia of several years of my childhood spent around the India Gate area. My friends and I used to watch the Parade live on TV, then rush down the stairs and line up on the roadside, while it went past. This was of course when the Parade went right through Kasturba Gandhi Marg (erstwhile Curzon Road) and then through Connaught Place, and not on its now-shortened route along Tilak Marg.

As we watch the Parade this year, whether on TV, or along Rajpath, I hope all of us reaffirm our belief in, and love for, this wondrous country of ours!