anjali

A novel in epistolary form, this book chronicles the exchange of emails between two Norwegian, now-married individuals who were once adventurous students and ex-lovers. Years run their course and change the lives of these two people, until by chance or fate (that is one of the questions the book tackles) - they meet again. Was their meeting pure chance, or the will of destiny? This and other questions relating to life, the beginning of the Universe, existence, climate change, the existence of God, love, loss, and death are all examined, and talked about at length through the exchange of emails.

A thoughtful read, like most of other Gaarder's work, will make you get out the pencil every now and then because there are some beautiful ideas and expressions you will want to remember.

John Keats, my darling, my tragic hero, caught in the throes of madness and genius, my love of poetry in person.

His letters are as beautiful and affecting as his poems; he works with words as one would with a musical instrument. His prose is delicious, affecting, intoxicating.


You uttered a half complaint once that I only lov'd your Beauty. Have I nothing else then to love in you but that? Do not I see a heart naturally furnish'd with wings imprison itself with me? No ill prospect has been able to turn your thoughts a moment from me. This perhaps should be as much a subject of sorrow as joy—but I will not talk of that. Even if you did not love me I could not help an entire devotion to you: how much more deeply then must I feel for you knowing you love me. My Mind has been the most discontented and restless one that ever was put into a body too small for it. I never felt my Mind repose upon anything with complete and undistracted enjoyment—upon no person but you. When you are in the room my thoughts never fly out of window: you always concentrate my whole senses. The anxiety shown about our Loves in your last note is an immense pleasure to me: however you must not suffer such speculations to molest you any more: nor will I any more believe you can have the least pique against me.

A nuclear physicist's ruminations on eastern philosophy and the parallels between physics and metaphysics. This book will be special to me always because it led me to discovering Heisenberg, quantum mechanics, Zen and Taoism. The sense I got out of this book was physics - science, even - is so much bigger, better and grander than what school textbooks could ever, ever tell you. Beautiful. Opened my eyes.

Found this when I was 11. Pizzas. Jokes. What's not to like?

Pizzas clearly had a big and important role in my upbringing.

You've heard all too often about a young, lost, upper-middle class 20-something in love with Bombay: the ‘city that never sleeps', a cliche outdone only with old favourite, ‘the spirit of Mumbai.' However, that is not what this book is really about. It's about - well, I'm not really sure what it's about. It clearly revolves around the murder of a famous model shot in a bar, inspired by the real life story of Jessica Lal, who was shot down in a Mumbai bar years ago. But what purpose that sub-plot serves, is beyond me. By the time I finished the book, I wondered why the author had included that whole bit in, as it clearly didn't go anywhere.

There are lots of scenes that seem there to serve as pure shock value more than anything else; done once, it's okay, but as the book progresses on, it quickly gets annoying. This book has its moments with satire, but only in terms of smart-ass cynical quips and one-liners from the characters.

Maybe one star seems too harsh. But if I had to be honest with myself, I really cannot pretend that I didn't dislike this book. After I turned the last page, it left a bitter taste in my mouth, prompted by a sentiment of WTFness and anger that I had spent 500 rupees for this tosh. Darn it.

This is a book about psychology, neuroscience, all the good stuff. Ramachandran is delightfully witty and approaches the big and small questions of psychology and neuroscience with curiosity and equal doses of scepticism and speculation alike. One of the truly good things about Phantoms in the Brain is that it is written with humility and humour. Ramachandran manages to expound whilst being hilarious and without ‘dumbing down', so to speak.

The book isn't an overtly serious-nature thesis so it follows a rather non-stuffy style, which is refreshing. It mainly consists of anecdotes and cases culled from wide-ranging medical literature, so it serves as a ground for inquiry into the nature, symptoms, effects and treatments of the various psychological anomalies. The book doesn't shy away from supporting the cases with evidence and providing the necessary scientific context and explanation for the problems at hand. I think that's the most crucial thing for any ‘popular science' book. Science shouldn't be downplayed or given the back seat at the cost of ‘making it easy.' A popular science book fails if it doesn't bring out the science bit in. Because, you know, it popular science after all.

What I also liked was that every chapter begins with quotes taken from sources as wide as the books of Sherlock Holmes, the Vedas and Shakespeare. That adds a nice touch.

But I think the most important thing I took away (when I read this at 16) was the spirit of scientific enquiry and sense of wonder that this book carries with it. At the heart of it, it's all about trying to understand Life, the Universe, and Everything. And that sense of wonder - that joy of scientific discovery - is contagious. I love science.

Really well-written, extremely clever and at times bitingly funny and sarcastic. This book has pretty strong arguments and looks at the theistic world view through the practical, the historical and the scripture bases. Well drawn out arguments and rebuttals make this one of the defining statements for atheism.

Not in the least because Richard Dawkins, that man knows his shit. It's great to watch him blaze through theist arguments and rip them apart. You know with what? THAT'S RIGHT, WITH SCIENCE. Awwyeah.

Offers an interesting viewpoint from the “other” side of the Introverts v/s Extroverts camp. Cain, herself a true-blue introvert, puts forth a number of arguments on the nature of being introverted and what it entails for us as individuals, parents, collegues, and contributors to the world.

By taking stock of various scientific studies, she also points out why underestimating introverts can be overwhelmingly off the mark. An interesting read with some fresh viewpoints and scientific studies, it offers a breather in a world of loud, aggressive, obnoxious self-help “Be More Extroverted!” sort of books.

Believe me when I say: This book will change your life.

It can get challenging at times, but in the end, it's an amazing, amazing book. You will have at least questioned the basic and yet important tenets of intelligence, morality, and what it means to be good or bad and what it means to live, to really live, by the time you're done.

I first read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance when I was sixteen...it changed the way I thought about the world and about ideas. I don't think i've ever read anything quite like it.

There are some that argue that Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is ‘mental masturbation' of sorts; or a ‘pretentious philosophical work' whose ideas are just all over the place. The truth is, this book is probably one of those few who deserve the oft-thrown around appraisal, ‘this book will change your life' - because, at its heart, the book is about ideas and covers tremendous mental territory. It's a challenging read, but highly recommended.

This isn't all the other calculus books out there. In fact, this is a very old book (early 20th century) and it's surprising how accessible it is (I would say, more than today's books). The writer is witty and sympathetic at all times (the first chapter is called ‘To Deliver You From Preliminary Terrors').

I remember being unsure as to how to feel about the fact that this was going to be the last Harry Potter book I would ever read for the first time. The previous book had done such a good job of imprinting the death of Dumbledore, and Hallows picked off from there, reinforcing Snape in all his nastiness as the book went on. But by the time you were done with The Prince's Tale, it was such a smack in the face, and turned the whole thing around. While it's hard to say that it was completely unexpected or that no one saw it coming, Snape's redemption and turn around and the way it was done really brought out what an awesome character he had been all along. There were lots of frightening moments too (Godric's Hollow, anyone?),there were laughs and scares in the exact right places; and towards the end, it sort of really came together. Bellatrix getting what she had coming to her (‘Not by daughter, you bitch!'), Percy coming around, the Battle of Hogwarts, the Resurrection Stone scene. But I think what she really did well was the final confrontation between Harry and Voldemort (which, sadly the movie completely butchered) - ‘You don't learn from your mistakes, Riddle, do you?'

The confrontation was awesome, but the actual duel itself was kinda disappointing. Expelliarmus. I mean, OH SHIT NOT AGAIN.

However, aside from that, reading this book for the first time was one of the genuinely best pleasures I've known.

I may have my issues with the prequel, but I don't think she could have done a better job with the book, or the series for that matter.

You ever feel like some books were written especially for you? No, not in the egoist, ‘Aren't-I-Special!' kinda way.

No, it's something else.

As if the author had spun a delightful tale, coloured with all the right jokes, quips and things that make you go ‘Me too!' in the exact right places, filled it with precious, precious characters you wish were real, then added the finishing touches in the form of some great quotes and dialogue, and then lovingly wrapped it in a book form with a ribbon on top and sent it, the little perfect book, wrapped in a khaki brown paper package at your doorstep.

That's what I mean.

This book is the wonderful, lush green land of Avonlea, the school classes, the childhood adventures, the dreams, the hopes, the fears. Anne is a kindred spirit. I have rarely felt such endearing sympathy and fondness for a character as I have with Anne; she is simply wonderful.

Heart-breaking and very, very beautiful. It left me awed, wondering how writing could achieve and create something as amazing as this. Two days is all it took for me to finish this book, despite my best efforts to read as slowly as possible. Very highly recommended. One of the books that just make you feel immensely.

Gets off to a slow start, but once you've left The Shire, you've left the book, the immediate place you are in, all earthly dimensions, and any plans of what you were about to do before you picked up this book. It's pure story telling, and at its best.

I mean, come on...it's freakin LOTR, man.

Whatever your expectations for this book, it will outstrip them. No, that's an understatement. It will take those expectations, multiply them with a factor of 10 or so, take you through 60s England, through the land of schoolboy mischief and lies and heartbreak, show you kindness and compassion along the way, go off on tangents about music and madness and philosophy,and leave you with mad props and respect and love for one Mr. Fry.

For that is the heart of it, of this book and of the writing and all that contained therein: Stephen Fry. Incredibly funny, witty, kind, compassionate, brutally honest and very, very clever.

This is deceptively titled as an autobiography, for it is much, much more than that. Yes, it is a book chronicling the first 20 years of Stephen's life, no doubt - but it is also a book that goes much beyond the life of one schoolboy and into the wild territory of intellectual passions and real world cruelties. Stephen is prone to going off on tangents now and then on anything that tickles his fancy, in the best way possible.


He has more than a way with words, one of the chief reasons why reading this book is such an enjoyable experience. It is a delight to watch Stephen go about anecdotes and essays, conversations and explanations as he weaves his web of verbal dexterity, balances on a trapeze of mental kickbacks and does tricks with words.

Hail Stephen Fry.

Bleak, depressing, and ultimately tragic, this book can be quite the difficult read. The concept of the Tragic Hero is brought out perfectly. Very sad, though.

The one thing I've taken away from this book is that it's dangerous to wallow in self pity and simultaneously harbour delusions of greatness.

Sometimes I wonder if Chuck writes purely to shock and not to tell the story, and if that whole shock thing is getting a bit too old for him.

I wonder if there lived anyone before and after Carl who could write about science with such poetry. This book is a statement for humanity, the Universe and everyone in it.

A delightful book I read in the 6th grade for fun.

Contrary to its title, this book is actually all about the delights and joys of maths. It might as well have been titled, The ‘I Love Mathematics' Book!

This book re-kindled my interest in maths and introduced me to many of its delights, years ahead of school. Topics that would later come back years and years ahead in college, I first stumbled across and devoured in this little book, among them probability, topology, permutations and combinations, number theory, and a lot of other good stuff.

I wish maths teachers everywhere would strive for communicating the real joy of maths to students instead of making it seem like a dry unenjoyable subject, which it most certainly is not.

What I loved about this book, is its choice in incorporating the ‘big ideas' - ideas that will make the 11 year old kid see the world in a new mathematical light. Maths as it relates to the world. I can definitely remember having my 11 year old mind blown by contemplating the mysteries of the natural world this book introduced me to, through the medium of mathematical ideas, puzzles and riddles.

Aside from all that, this book is spectacularly funny. There are lots of jokes splashed amongst numbers, graphs, and charts. It is also written with some really clever humour, lots of witty and sarcastic quips in between.

There is nothing kids enjoy and need more than having their curiosity whetted and fed. We need more books like these.

Richard Feynman is one of my favourite people who ever lived, and this is one of my favourite books I've ever read.

There are so many reasons why this book is awesome. Science is one of them. (That alone would be reason enough.) But it's not the rocket science kind of science. Not the big, movie-kind caricature kind of science.

But it's the science of beans and doors and hoola hoops. The pursuit of science for its own sake. If there's one thing you will take from this book it's the pure delight and utter joy of science.

And that's not all, though. Because Feynman, one of the most liveliest and colourful personalities of science, is both funny and intelligent in his thoughts and anecdotes. He manages to be both profound and irreverent, smart as hell and tongue-in-cheek.

A fun and enlightening read.

Siddartha is an allegory; a story wrapped around the ultimate premise ‘Happiness for Dummies'. Okay, maybe not so simplistic, but it deals with the attainment and nature of happiness nonetheless.

Premise

Like its eponymous protagonist, the novel breaks down in several milestones or turning points that signal the development of the story and the growth of the character, marking the changes that have been wrought at each stage by happenstance or when the central character experiences, what they generally call, ‘awakening.'

Now, I have generally never been fond of that word; I look upon it with slightly cynical eyes that have been tainted long ago with the endless and ubiquitous New Age slogans and advertising jingles and other such byproducts of a spiritually-hungry-but-commercially-eager-to-cash-on-in-that-hunger culture that is so pervasive. For that reason, any word (especially buzzwords like awakening, purpose, destiny, soul - to name just a few, which must surely count as eternal favourites of those who specialise in Spiritual Quests) - any word bearing resemblance or connection to this New Age school of thought immediately props up red flags in my mind and, in response to that, my mind reciprocates my sentiments with a certain two-syllable word, namely, ‘bullshit'.

However, being as wary of this as I am, I am compelled to acknowledge that Siddhartha does not bear resemblance to those works proffering liberation and claiming to offer answers to your spiritual questions, at least, not in the typical sense. Hesse is not trying to sell you happiness in a How-To-Guide book form wrapped with a ribbon on top. Hesse isn't trying to sell you anything. What he is doing, though, is telling a story that puts this search, this spiritual hunger in an allegory form and examines the ways it comes about and the way it is resolved.

A historical perspective

We must put Siddhartha in its historical context to achieve a full perspective towards understanding this work. Herman Hesse was a German writer who, aside from being a pretty depressive kid and showing signs of serious depression even in childhood, was also the winner of Nobel Prize in literature. Bam. His parents had served as Christian missionaries in India. His exposure to the work of Arthur Schopenhauer, the German philosopher, renewed his interest in Indian culture. Hesse's work is informed with tenets of Buddhist and Hindu philosophy and, in the case of Siddartha, forms the setting of the story itself.

Siddhartha is important because, published in 1922, way before the Beat movement and the hippiedom of the 60s, it was the first major work dealing in Eastern philosophy and thought written in the West. What many of the world now knows or may appreciate as Buddhist/Zen philosophy as a school of thought, Siddhartha put forward first. Hesse influenced the work of Jack Kerouac, and many others of the Beat Generation ahead of its time. It witnessed a resurgence in the counter-culture movements of the sixties.

Underlying themes and meaning

Hesse examines the search for spiritual fulfillment by having his characters embody aspects of personality and living that are unified, at various stages, by the protagonist Siddhartha himself. Govinda, like Siddhartha, is a seeker and then a Samana, or an ascetic who has renounced all wordly possesions. Kamala, the woman who instructs Siddhartha in the art of physical love and later, the mother of his child, embodies hedonism and sensuality. Kamaswami, the merchant, signifies the chief example of the ‘child people', the materialist. The ferryman, Vasudeva, exemplifies quiet understanding and wisdom, just like the Gautama Buddha, the Sublime One.

At various stages of his life, Siddhartha experiences the different aspects of these different personalities himself; he changes and grows as a person by becoming and unbecoming these traits. He is first and foremost, a seeker, who leaves his home to become a Samana, an ascetic giving up the ways of ‘the child people'. He is then the lover, basking in the pleasures of love and sex. Then he is the trader, the materialist, consumed by worldly woes. He is the gambler, giver and taker of riches, losing sight of what he was before. Then he is the suicidal depressive who has reached a breaking point, a crises in life, realised that the journey he traced out until this point left him empty, hollow, broken. Then he is the awakened, the conscious, the curious. He is the child, born-again, who laughs to himself realising that he has been given a blank slate to begin anew.

Siddhartha's journey is one of trial and error. He sets of with the one goal of escaping the ‘ego', the vanquishing of the Self to achieve oneness with the universe, the Brahman. Yes, that sounds a bunch of wish-washy terms strung together to sound fancy. Admittedly, they wouldn't look that great on a resume, or seem out of place in daily conversation. ‘What do you want to do with your life?' ‘Oh, you know, just vanquish the Ego and stuff...and become one with the Universe. Can you pass the ice-cream, please?' Yup. However, let's give the Brahmin kid a break.

To that end, he traces out a path that wavers between two extremes - two opposite paths that might lead to one destination that is his goal. The first path, of course, is the one of renouncing of the worldly wealth, the path of the Samanas, the path of hermits, one of patience and fasting and suffering and simple living to overcome material wants and excesses. The second path, which he embarks upon after meeting Kamala, is directly opposite to his former one: instead of giving up pleasures and possessions, it encourages him to pursue them with active desire. When it turns out that this was not working either, Siddhartha runs away from it too and reaches that dreaded dead-end, suicide. This breakdown is the culmination of another lesson, heralding a new beginning, a clean start.

Siddhartha's mistakes are numerous and his teachers many; from his Samanas, the Buddha, Kamala, Kamaswami, the ferryman, and ultimately the river. His loves, much like his paths and means to the journey of fullfilment, know many faces and forms. At one point in the novel, Siddhartha asserts to Kamala: ‘Maybe people like us cannot love,' and yet in time he himself comes to experience the many aspects of love. He knows platonic love, in relation to his best friend Govinda, brotherly love suffused with profound respect to Vasudeva, romantic love to Kamala, and familial, fatherly but unrequited love to his son.

Conclusion

Compared to other books tackling existential angst such as the likes of The Stranger by Albert Camus, or Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Siddhartha is different in that it is uplifting and somberly optimistic in tone. Hesse's prose is languid and well-written, with a tendency to become simple at times, but not simplistic. The central message of the novel is exemplified in the final meeting of Siddhartha and Govinda, fraught with the difficulty of Govinda seeking to glean understanding from the learning of Siddhartha, and Siddhartha asserting its impossibility: Wisdom cannot be taught. Knowledge can be passed on, but wisdom cannot. That Siddhartha spent his entire life trying to learn it himself, and made many mistakes along the way, but fumbling and falling, made it through, underlies this claim.

Different people will interpret novel differently. Some might think it is trite, some might think it changed their life. It didn't change mine. But it gave me some nice things to think about.

Nothing I ever write will ever do this book justice. Nothing.

This book is magnificence.

Jim Corbett was a cool guy. And what could be cooler than adventures amongst tigers in the 19th/20th century?

Gothic wilderness, madness, first loves, betrayals, childhood best friends parting and meeting again, castles, the highlands, wild, unbridled, intoxicating passions.

Wuthering Heights is phenomenal. Emily Bronte only ever wrote one book during her lifetime, and died not long after this one was published, but as it stands, Wuthering Heights is rightly enough to put her on the list as one of the best writers in the history of English literature.

This book is moody, fierce, brooding, intense, tragic and very, very beautiful. The prose alone is a pleasure to read.

When I first read Wuthering Heights, I spent the first half despising Heathcliff and Cathy. They were whiny bitches for the larger part, and when I was finished with the novel I couldn't figure out just why it was that I put the book down having another perspective to look back at those same characters now. Of course, they still made you want to punch them in the stomach, but you couldn't really avoid liking them as characters. It was the first book that inspired such intense dislike and yet made wonderful reading all the same.

This book is one of my all time favourites.