Ok. So I have been dragged into breaking my habit of plogging(poetic blogging) as I have been tagged. Well I would have ignored it but considering the fact that I'm as busy as a dead fish right now I decided to give it a shot. Besides it was books .....I can't pass on that.
Coming straight to the topic. Well must say I read my first novel in 10th standard and then it continued. I'm more of a fiction person. So my top 15 books (in no particular order)
Harry Potter series: Well, HP and sorcerer's stone was the first novel I ever managed to read...more like devour. I wasn't a book person but an old friend of mine practically thrust it into my hand so I read it. And boy, till day I thank her for letting me in on that magical world. And don't roll ur eyes at me. I am a kid. :)
Anne of the Island: Actually the whole series of Anne's journey through life from green gables to marrying the guy who called her carrots in schools thanks to her red hair. Awesomely sweet. Boys keep off. Its a girls thing.
M & B's: My hostel nite vdo says it all. I am a huge fan of M &B's. Come on its not every day that you find a very sweet lovestory where the guy and girl finally have to meet. :P Life isn't that sweet people. You might as well live it in a book.
The prophecies of Notre Dame: It kinda caught on with me after 9/11. But I must say it is quite fascinating to read all those predictions he made years ago. Makes actually wonder and believe that prophacies do come true.
Angels & Demons: Phew! That's the only word. Shear brilliance in the narrative. Its one of the major reasons why I will go to Europe (which I will). Follow the path of illumination. ;)
Da Vinci Code: Continuing in the same breath. Although I read this first, Angels &Demons is way better. But no denying the fact that after this book all of us did take a peak at the last supper painting. I even had a calendar print of Monalisa framed and hung in my room. Coming from a missionary school boy do I look out for all the subtle signs in every church I visit.
How to Read a Person Like a Book: Don't worry I never mastered it completely. Its a generalisation of body language and certain gestures used by people which convey their true emotions. Now you dont want to be caught sending out a wrong signal to someone important right?
Gossip Girl (Yes! the book): Although the series is amazing you cant deny that reading a book is a completely different experience. Cant say it tops the list but yeah it is somewhere there.
Best Laid Plans (Sidney Sheldon): Quite a gripping novel. I couldn't imagine myself finishing it in a matter of 2 days considering I'm a very very slow reader. The tale of how a woman achieves the unthinkable just driven by vengeance. Although the story proceeds beautifully with a murder and all the end kinda falls a little short of expectations. All in all a very good read.
Blood Line (Sidney Sheldon): Pharmaceutical Industry, young heiress,blood-thirsty dealers, money hungry relatives, one childhood fantasy man - to trust him or not to. That about says it all. I remember it as the novel that saved me on a 48hr long train.
Short Sayings by Vivekananda: Just plain and simple - totally inspiring. After reading these u just want to get up and go grab that world by its collar. See if you can get it the next time u see a ramakrishna mission store. They are practical to the core.
Reader's Digest: The age old series of magazines. A habit inculcated by my parents actually. Every issues I would wait to read the cover stories. There was one in particular called "Lost in the Sea"- a true story about a woman who went fishing with her son into the sea and was hit by an unexpected storm. How she managed to save her son, swim some ridiculous distances and lived to tell the tale formed the rest of the story. I taught me one thing, that story, Perseverance.
Well next up the best of the best. My top Three books (Drum Roll!!!). I can never put them as #1 #2 and #3 but these three books are something I manage to suggest to anyone and everyone who would listen.
a.
A Thousand Splendid Suns: This book by Khaled Hosseini follows the life of two Afghan women through very dark times. Well before u cast it off as an emotional tale, it narrates beautifully the political situations that lead to the taliban take over and tell me if u dont have goose bumps when u read about how the women were treated during taliban rule in Afghanistan. Be it the time when one woman loses her family and love all in a blink of an eye or the time when the two women manage to escape from home, without a man, only to be caught. I just cant imagine what they would have gone through. And by the time you reach the end of this book you will feel as though u have lived the entire story. I have the movie playing in my mind even when I write this. A must must read.
b.
Pride & Prejudice: Yeah Yeah! We've heard it and seen it alright. But you havent read it then u surely missed something. The peppy dialogue between Lizzy and Darcy or the moment truth dawns upon Lizzy or when proud Darcy amazes Lizzy by "being able to insult her and express his love for her all at the same time". Truly a classy classic that deserved every bit of acclaim it got. It was my second novel.
c.
The Godfather: Last but not the least.....The book about a man who "makes u an offer u cannot refuse". Don Vito Corleone and his offspring. Really, everyone knows the story but if u watched the movie first then man u've ruined ur experience of the book. I was so fascinated by the intricate ways of the mafia or more like the sheer power they wield, that I used to wish I could be transplanted into the story as, if not Michael Corleone himself, atleast his gun man(gun woman?). Simply Superb!!!
So hope u liked my list and if u havent tried any of my top three books I urge u to read them right away.
I don't have as many as 15 friends who blog so I'll just pass it on to a few people namely Sravanti, Kartik, Mayank, Debanjan and Apurv. And thanks to Shruti, who tagged me, I got to relive my best books.
