Vinoth's 66 challenge for 2012

[Vinoth]

Smitha wrote: "the burglar streak in me speaking. A shameful truth - when I was young and didnot know better I stole a book and was caught by my mom and made to return it. I went to a friend's house, started read..."

I remember i used to smuggle books into rooms where they dont belong!!!!

any guesses. yes Exam halls ;)

[Ahtims]

were you caught (atleast once?)

[Vinoth]

Smitha wrote: "were you caught (atleast once?)"

no i was not. but that happened when i was in 5th or 6th std.maybe 2 or 3 times. after that i don't think i resorted to that.but i will never forget the booklet i took to the exam hall once. a blue color booklet of around 50-60 pages.

but i have witnessed loads of people being caught and evicted. it never happened to me. ;)

[Parikhit]

Vinoth wrote: "Smitha wrote: "the burglar streak in me speaking. A shameful truth - when I was young and didnot know better I stole a book and was caught by my mom and made to return it. I went to a friend's hous..."

I don't want to sound like a saint but I don't remember cheating at exams at all. But I used to help others. If that qualifies as cheating that yes :D

[Vinoth]

Parikhit wrote: "Vinoth wrote: "Smitha wrote: "the burglar streak in me speaking. A shameful truth - when I was young and didnot know better I stole a book and was caught by my mom and made to return it. I went to ..."

i used to help myself. except the couple of times or so , a bit here a bit there , a key formula on the forehand a few key word on the palms , thats all :)

[Ahtims]

even I am in the same boat as Pari, never cheated in exams for myself but have helped others

[Vinoth]

Smitha wrote: "even I am in the same boat as Pari, never cheated in exams for myself but have helped others"

alas , i was not "stuffed" enough to do so without 'external aids' ;P

[Ahtims]

LOL, hope our teachers are not lingering in this forum

[Vinoth]

Smitha wrote: "LOL, hope our teachers are not lingering in this forum"

i dont have to worry about that. cos i have had hundreds of them and they would not remember me for sure.the max no of yrs i spent in a school is 3 :P

[Vinoth]

Book No 11



I rate it 4.5/5



Hard to believe this is Khaled Hosseini's First book.So wonderfully written.I have seen the movie in bits and pieces and have seen the starting and ending before reading the book.Even then the book was fast paced in a different sense . there are some wonderful quotes in this book,which i read a few times over.this book made me laugh ,made my eyes water.

[Vinoth]

Book No 12



I rate it 3.5/5


Urban Shots is an anthology of 28 urban short stories written by 13 Indian Authors. The book has been divided into 5 sections namely Relationships, Love, Friendship, Angst and Longing. The collection as a whole does look good. You will not know how good a story is unless you read a not so good one. The editor has done a good job in mixing things up  .Though not all the stories give you the feeling of having read a good one, most do.

The first short story is ‘Hope Comes in Small Package’ by Kainaz Motivala. This is the story of Priya, a fashion designer who is married to sumit. She is pregnant and unfortunately loses her child. This story is the about the low in her life due to the incident and how she overcomes it. This was a really well written story and probably the best of the entire collection and maybe that’s why the editor had chosen it as the first one. If you read the rest of the Stories with this one as the benchmark, then only a couple more stories would satisfy you. If you keep an open mind and read the rest, this will be a read somewhere between ‘average’ and ‘Good’.
The next story which impressed me was ‘Liberation’ by Malathi Jaikumar. This is the story of Chamundi, a uneducated mother of two kids, who dreads the weekends which happens to be the eagerly expected part of the week for most of us. Why? And how does she overcome it? The story is so relatable and I really liked the end. Actually I was grinning at the end of the story which does not happen often.

‘Replay’ by Paritosh Uttam is probably the most relatable story of the collection. How often have we come across people in Busses and Trains who ‘request’ us to Part with some ‘Nominal’ amount to them so that they can return to their native town or eat since they have not eaten for weeks together!! This is a story of one such incident. The story does not stand out because it is relatable but the way in which the author has linked the ‘uncommon’ incident to something else in the life of Lata , the lady in the story and how it helps her to solve a confusing issue she has been putting off.

‘Stick Figures’ by Vrinda Baliga is probably the next most relatable story. How often have we been asked to draw something when we were in kinder garden or play school? And what would most of us draw? You guessed it right. Two mountains with the sun setting or rising or something resembling our family members. That is what Tarun does when his mother is late to pick him up from his play school while he is thinking about the Baby sister his mother promised him. The end was kinda expected but still was good.

Some other stories worth mentioning are ‘Apple Pie and a grey sweater’ by Prateek Gupta, ‘Just average’ by Malathi Jaikumar, ‘A cup of tea’ by Paritosh Uttam, ‘Dialects of silence’ by Vrinda Baliga and ‘Driving down the Memory Lane’ by Kunal Dhabalia.
I liked the relationship section the most and Love the least with regards to the no of stories I liked. Overall the book was good and would have been better if 2-3 stories were deleted.

This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda.com. Participate now to get free books!

[Vinoth]

Book No 13



I rate it 3/5



This book made me think a lot. it confused me a lot. it made me go back in pages to check why certain things were so. at times i felt satisfied. at times it confused me further..

The overall concept of 9 interlinked short stories each depicting a separate rasa is good.But when it came to the Individual stories it did not live up to the Expectations the synopsis on the Back cover created


i would like to go one by one of the short stories

1. Seed

It was good. except for the Timeline the rest of the story was good. it took me a lot of time in understanding which happened when.it would have been great if you had put the story in a time line like now.. and the story of younger Rajan as so and so years ago...

2. Rat
once again it was good but for the surprise , which was not there. the story was so so predictable that it started to bore me.(view spoiler)[ when the vigilante asks Dhanajay to remove the mask and see his face if he is so eager and then Dhananjay suddenly compares the vigilante to his son....that was a giveaway.. (hide spoiler)]

3. MutinyThis one would have been superb if it was a bit short. i felt that a few page edit would have done justice to this story..if you leave aside the Humans speak and the mosquitoes dont know thing there is a technical snag.it may not be small but it caught my eye.The Mosquito Ghz asks Sanjay his name. he does not respond to it and she in turn does not mention "her" name but in the next sentence Sanjay calls Ghz by her name..

4. T 20This story confused me like hell.(view spoiler)[ my understanding while reading the story was that the Italicized parts were from Manu's diary.but i was confused when i read about the Pizza as it was currently happening. ie while the match is underway. Manu leaves for US. so i thought all these happened before the T20 match happened. out of the Blue suddenly i read that Manu is dead and that Teja is reading from his diary on the day of the match and that Manu is not alive then. but i don't understand why i remember reading that Manu leaves for toilet on innings break (hide spoiler)]

5. Loopthis was yet another confusing story.(view spoiler)[ this was confusing because of the loop. since we are left out to find for our self whats happening its a bit difficult to do so..and why is it that the second time things start repeating the doctor or his wife don't fell like being in loop and why does the loop stop after repeating only once. is it because the Dr's daughter is back from her future visit..if that is so did she stay for 2 days or so??? (hide spoiler)]

6.wish(view spoiler)[ chitu wants to take revenge of sorts... agreed . how does he get to do that?? who is responsible for that?? and more importantly why does he not allow things to happen before he responds. say for example why does he not allow his friends to implicate him and then lecture the teacher?? what will the teacher think of the student?? Arrogant would be the word. because he does not know why Chintu is doing so.. (hide spoiler)]


7 Office 8.N.H 9.Redemption


Probably the best of the nine stories. i liked these stories. these 3 were the ones which raised my 2 star rating to 3 star rating

[dely]

I will not read.
I have only a few pages to finish the book!
I will read your review as soon as I'll finish the book.

[Vinoth]

dely wrote: "I will not read.
I have only a few pages to finish the book!
I will read your review as soon as I'll finish the book."

when i read the first line i thought u meant the book. the 3rd line cleared my doubts...:)

[Vidya]

gr8 going Vinoth!!!

[Vinoth]

Vidya wrote: "gr8 going Vinoth!!!"

thanks Vidya. though i don't think my going is great i think am going ok..thanks anyway...

[dely]

Vinoth wrote: " 1 Seed..."

I liked that timeline! I like it when not everything is clear and when we must wait to know the truth or what happened. It was engaging for me. If it had a normal timeline it would have been boring for me.


4 T20
Teja only (view spoiler)[imagines that Manu is there, it is only her imagination. You understand it better from the slice of pizza: it smells of mildew. Me too at the beginning could not understand why a new pizza was stinky but then I understood; the pizza was there since the T 20 in television, a few days before the story happens. (hide spoiler)]
But I like it when all the things aren't clear since the beginning because this holds my attention and when I find the reason I am happy.

5 Loop
We don't know if the loop goes on only since two days. This is what the writer wants to let us think but perhaps that day has been repeated for a longer time and Rajiv decided to talk only about the last two days. I was only sorry that suddenly (view spoiler)[ the daughter of the psychiatryst reappears. It would be better if Rajiv let us suppose that this loop would go on (hide spoiler)].

6 Wish
It is not necessary that the story reflects the reality. (view spoiler)[Chitu had this great desire to get revenge, his wish was so strong that the next day he was a different person. Perhaps his great desire made him change from inside and he became brave and did not allow to nobody to laugh about him. Such a change can happen sometimes also in reality though most of the times changes happen slowly and gradually. (hide spoiler)]

[Vinoth]

dely wrote: "Vinoth wrote: " 1 Seed..."

I liked that timeline! I like it when not everything is clear and when we must wait to know the truth or what happened. It was engaging for me. If it had a normal timeli..."



T20 (view spoiler)[

dely the story happens on the day of the match. towards the end of the t20 Teja starts to cry loudly. Rajiv had written that the her neighbors will think that she is crying because India lost their match. (hide spoiler)]

[dely]

Vinoth wrote: "T20 (spoiler)"


Yes, and she cries during the match but (view spoiler)[ perhaps the pizzas were bought some days before (hide spoiler)].
I don't know how T20 is but I suppose it is like Champions League and so there is more than one match.

[Vinoth]

dely wrote: "Vinoth wrote: Yes, and she cries during the match but [ perhaps the pizzas were bought some days before (hide spoiler)]."

had a chat with Rajiv via Message in GR and yeah that is what he said.



"I don't know how T20 is but I suppose it is like Champions League and so there is more than one match"


it is not a championship(although the match in question here is the finals of the inaugural T 20 Championship ). T20 is a format of a game(cricket).others being Test and one day Cricket.

[dely]

Vinoth wrote: "had a chat with Rajiv via Message in GR and yeah that is what..."

Fine :D


it is not a championship(although the match in question here is the finals of the inaugural T 20 Championship ). T20 is a format of a game(cricket).others being Test and one day Cricket.

Thank you. Before starting this chapter I had to go on google to search for it but didn't read everything in detail. Have seen that it was a match of cricket and for me it was enough.

[Vinoth]

dely wrote: "Have seen that it was a match of cricket and for me it was enough. "

:P

[Vinoth]

Book No 14



I rate it 4/5

1.Are you planning to Donate your kidney to someone??

2.Are you even thinking of Donating your Kidney to someone??

3.Are you undergoing tests for Donating your Kidney??

4.Have you donated your Kidney to someone??



If your answer to any of the above 4 questions is yes then this book is a must read for you. from contemplating to donate her kidneys to after 8 yrs from the donation , you will find all the significant things necessary to know about Kidney Donation in this book.And to top it off you will not find this book drag as she is so funny a author(the way she writes) that i started looking forward to those brackets within which she would have something witty to write :)

[Vinoth]

Book No 15


I rate it 4.5/5

It was one of the slowest starts ever(for me). but i hoped that things will get fast paced and sprint like a tiger! thank goodness,for it did. once Pi leaves for Canada the story started to woo me in and it was so well written.Especially when it comes to details about Animals and their behavior , Yann Martel excels.. Yann Martel has not wasted any words in painting the story of Pi , who is stranded in a lifeboat with a Royal Bengal Tiger for Companion for so long a period of time..

[Vinoth]

Book No 16



I rate it 4/5


An Anthology of Short stories.the only criterion is that the author should be a Nobel Prize winner. the Editor(s) had chosen some and left out some(prize winners).The collection as a whole did work on me.but some individual stories did not. Because this book has some different stories from different period and the significance of some stories are lost on me and it was a bit disappointing to not know what is transpiring even though i did read between the lines and made up the empty spots.
Depending on the period and the author the Writing style varies.Some solely focus on the descriptive writing without worrying about the plot.Some have focused on the emotional and psychological behaving of the Peasants.Some stories bring in the Significance of a action(recent past) into play. though it may have been a awesome read 100 years back , it failed to impress me. so did a few other stories , the significance of which i am still unaware of..

Some of my favorites were The Father , Death , Sunstroke ,The Massacre Of The Innocents and The Miraculous Revenge.

This book Gets a 4 Star only because of the stories i liked.they were thought provoking and some were unbelievable(with a bit of sadness.mostly the peasant ones . especially the 'Death'. )

[dely]

Vinoth wrote: " Book No 16



I rate it 4/5


An Anthology of Short stories.the only criterion is that the author should be a Nobel Prize winner. the Editor..."

It seems an interesting read because we can know a lot of famous writers. How many stories are in the book?

[Vinoth]

dely wrote: "Vinoth wrote: " Book No 16



I rate it 4/5


An Anthology of Short stories.the only criterion is that the author should be a Nobel Prize win..."

yes. there are 26 short stories in the book.

[dely]

Vinoth wrote: "yes. there are 26 short stories in the book. "

I hope I will find it in Italian.

Btw, how many countries (for the challenge) have you visited with this book?!

[Vinoth]

havent added to that bookshelf. am confused which country to add..am even thinking of skipping this book from that challenge as this is a collection of short story. so its not really a visit. its more like a few hours stroll in between connecting flights :P

[Parikhit]

dely wrote: "Vinoth wrote: " Book No 16



I rate it 4/5


An Anthology of Short stories.the only criterion is that the author should be a Nobel Prize win..."

I got to know so many authors from this book and I am discovering their work now. And I love transporting myself back in time to know about the time then. I have started reading the Swedish author Selma Lagerlof.

[Vinoth]

Parikhit wrote: "I got to know so many authors from this book and I am discovering their work now. And I love transporting myself back in time to know about the time then. I have started reading the Swedish author Selma Lagerlof.
"


true. even i have noted down some authors i want to read :)

which book of Selma Lagerlof are you reading??

[Parikhit]

I am reading Jerusalem

[Vinoth]

Parikhit wrote: "I am reading Jerusalem"

hows it??

[Vinoth]

Book No 17


I rate it 4/5



Hmmm. a Espionage novel after quite sometime. This is not the best of Follet.its somewhere close to that.but what made this novel Interesting was the fact that this novel is based on the Alleged 'Disappearance' of 200 Tonnes of Uranium in 1968.Thanks to Israel , who required Uranium to produce Nuclear weapons.Though it was never proved, it still remains one of the best coup of the previous century.Ken Follet has made an attempt to take back the reader to the events as it could have unfolded with as much agents/double agents as he can accommodate :)

Nat Dickstein , a Mossad agent is trying to do the Impossible-steal 200 Tonnes of Uranium such that the news of the 'theft' does not see the light of the day!

Rostov , A KGB agent is working with Cairo to stop Dickstein from taking the Yellowcake to Israel and try to expose the plot to the rest of the world.he must succeed as he has a huge stake in his personal and political life at stake.

Yasif Hassan is a Egyptian Agent.(view spoiler)[he is also a Palestinian who wants the Fedayeen to steal the Uranium and to prove to the world that the Fedayeen mean Business (hide spoiler)]

and that's how the novel gets it name 'Triple'

and btw all three of em did their studies from Oxford and knew each other :)

[Ahtims]

long time since I read Follet (other than our group read)

[Vinoth]

Smitha wrote: "long time since I read Follet (other than our group read)"

Ken Follett is one guy who can write novels like Triple and then go on to write novels like Fall of Giants and The Pillars of the Earth. i dont see writers like Tom Clancy or Jack Higgins doing that..

[Vinoth]

Smitha wrote: "long time since I read Follet (other than our group read)"

am sure you can throw in a Follet in between some Cozy Mysteries.I am even more sure that you have at least 1 unread Follet :P

[Ahtims]

:P Yes, of course. The Fall of Giants - a huge tome.

[Vinoth]

Smitha wrote: ":P Yes, of course. The Fall of Giants - a huge tome."

i loved Fall of giants

[Parikhit]

Vinoth wrote: "Parikhit wrote: "I am reading Jerusalem"

hows it??"

Jerusalem is not everybody's cup of tea. First the language is different and the story explores faith. However, just my type. How I love reading books from the past :D

[Vinoth]

Book No 18


I rate it 4/5



We want them to do every work of ours, make us feel comfortable,make us feel safe , make us feel proud.BUT we dont want them to control us,we dont want them to defy us.!!!!!
this seems to be the motives behind the postulations of the 3 laws of Robotics.

the fact that Asimov had the book published in late 1950's in itself is a unbelievable one..(you will believe it once you are through with the book).Asimov has beautifully portrayed the evolution! of Robots.

from non talking Robots to one that can do anything and everything.Reading this book feels like reading a agatha christie , trying to solve a mystery with Hercule poirot or Miss marple.the only difference is that you may be solving the mystery in another Galaxy!!

i loved reading this book. this has hooked me onto the next in the Robot series.

[Vinoth]

Book No 19


I rate it 4/5



i felt like reading some pages out of my childhood.R K Narayan has portrayed swami and his friends in such a way that almost all Indians who have crossed the childhood in the recent past and those who did so in not so recent times could read and enjoy the book and reel back in time and think and cherish their childhood and that's exactly what i did.

[Vinoth]

Book No 20



I rate it 4/5



I read it a month or so back.. so dont remember the stories et all to write about it.. but i do remember that it was a well written book.the way of writing was good and some stories really touched my heart.. Jhumpa Lahiri has taken me by surprise(inspite of pari's praises for her).Cant wait to read her other books :)

[Vinoth]

Book No 21



I rate it 4/5



This book was Very good , to say the least..what really impressed me was the Switching of Narration between Karna,Vrishali,Shon,Kunti and Krishna.. and the switchings were so perfect that i was left to wonder how could have he(Sivaji sawant) done this so perfectly..

my only grouses were that it got a bit to philosophical for me and that there were many contradictions between this book and Yajnaseni: The Story of Draupadi that i lost count of it..

[Ahtims]

I would like to read this book - I always have been fascinated by Karna.

[Vinoth]

Smitha wrote: "I would like to read this book - I always have been fascinated by Karna."

do read it Col.. the book was very good..

[Ahtims]

ordered Yajnaseni from Homeshop 18 for just Rs. 236 or so. A good deal, in my opinion.
Searching for Mrityunjaya

[Vinoth]

Smitha wrote: "ordered Yajnaseni from Homeshop 18 for just Rs. 236 or so. A good deal, in my opinion.
Searching for Mrityunjaya"

Anjali lent Mrityunjaya to me.. she said she had to search a lot for this book. i think she mentioned that it is out of print..She finally got it from Blossoms :)

[Anjali]

Smitha wrote: "ordered Yajnaseni from Homeshop 18 for just Rs. 236 or so. A good deal, in my opinion.
Searching for Mrityunjaya" smitha the next time i come to Mangalore i can leave it in my mlore home ( we can figure out some way u can collect it) and maybe drop it off once u finish it ...i found it after like a years search on Flipkart ...a hardbound copy with gilt edges :)...paid quite a bit ...but was so totally worth it...

[Ahtims]

Thanks a lot, Anjali. I appreciate it much. Yes, I know. The cheapest copy is Rs.800 in flipkart, and dont feel like spending that much just now.