Team-BHP - The Books Thread (Fiction)

Very difficult to denote the Top 5 for a bookworm like me. After much thought, heres a Top 10 (not in sequential order, mix of fiction and non-fiction):

Zen & The Art of Motorcycle Maintainence - Robert Pirsig
In Spite of the Gods: The strange rise of Modern India - Edward Luce
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
Why We Buy - Paco Underhill
Fountainhead - Ayn Rand
Pather Panchali - Bibhutibhushon Bandopadhyay
The Greatest: My Own Story - Mohammed Ali
The Rebel Sell - Joseph Heath & Andrew Potter
Deshe Bideshe - Syed Mujtaba Ali
Tipping Point - Mallcom Gladwell

Currently Reading - Nothing! Just trying to save my job in these times of slowdown!:)

Here is my best list, but this is something dynamic & can change as days pass by:

1) Papillon - Henry Charriere
2) Bram Stokers - Dracula (This book belongs to my grand father, i guess its easily crossed 50 years, & in a commendable condition)
3) Carrie - Stephen King
4) Cosmos - Carl Sagan
5) At swim two birds - Flann O'Brien

Lots more...

The ones not to miss are

1) Sherlock Holmes
2) 20,000 Leagues under the sea
3) Pendragon Series - DJ Mac Hale
4) TinTin Series
5) Interview with a vampire
6) The thief lord
7) The Brothers Karamazov - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
8) The Yiddish Policemen's Union - Michael Chabon
9) Breakfast of Champions - Kurt Vonnegut
10) The Dark tower series from Stephen king
11) The Shinning - Stephen King
12) Haunted - James Herbert
13) Atlas Shrugged
14) Lord of the rings
15) God Father

I will end it for now, but there are a few more great ones!

Here goes mine:

1. Sugar Baron`s Daughter - loveleen Kacker
2. The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho
3. Straigh from the gut - jack Welch (Former C.E.O. General Electric)
4. Joker in the Pack - Don`t remember.
5. Loosing My Virginity - Biography Richard Branson

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sagittarian (Post 1270978)

One hundred years of solitude

I once read a book by same author named something like 'chronicle of death foretold' and did not understand what it wanted to convey.... and i knew this book is also highly raved about. In fact, I was going through the reviews of the book an hour back.... and found one review which I think would reflect my views, if I attempt to read this ...

I guess I am not still there to understand his style of writing.

Quote:

Just recently, I decided to give this book a second chance. Like other reviewers here, I hardly ever give up on a book. But about 30 pages into the SECOND attempt, I am feeling exhausted. All of the bright and shiny books on my bookshelves have never looked so good at this point. So I came here, read the reviews and feel better. I think I can put this book away and be at peace with not appreciating it. I will say, some of the words Marquez uses- his descriptions, seem to have been created especially for the world that exists within this book. But is the trip worth it? I have decided that it is not. Thank you all for helping me be at peace with NOT completing this novel.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pradster (Post 1270236)

I am Currently reading some Tintin comics!.................

Am going through a comics phase too. Reading a Calvin and Hobbes collection. Then I have a couple of Asterixes to re-read.

Can't pick the top5 since there are a quite a few which are just as good but these are my all time favourites:
-------------------------------------------------------------
Zen and the art of Motor Cycle maintenance - A classic in any way you look at it.
Alchemist - You can't go wrong on this one.
Surely you are joking Mr.Feynman - You only get such men rarely, very rarely.
Call of the Wild - Simply superb.
A Gift of Wings - Try putting down before you finish.
-------------------------------------------------------------

1. The Clash of civilisations and remaking of world order (Samuel Huntington)
2. The alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
3. Freedom at midnight (Lapierre and somebody)
4. Lust for life (Irving Stone)
5. Orientalism (Edward Said)

Currently reading motorcycle magazines lol:

Originally Posted by deepug
Many Lives Many Masters - Brian l Weiss ( currently Reading)
Someone suggested this book to me. How is it?

If this is about the person who was regressed and discovered she'd lived through many personas and many starkly diverse eras- sometimes even dying traumatically...if it is, then the author is a Psychologist and she was his patient. Makes you sit up. Highly recommended.

Just finished reading The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown). It was a reading experiance unlike any other.

Currently I am reading John Grisham's The Broker and lined up is a book called the Monkey Business by John Rolfe and Peter Troob. Its based on the world of Investment Banking.

The list can quite long, but let me point out my favourite 5.

1) Acts of Faith - Eric Segal

2) Kane & Abel - Jeffrey Archer

3) The Five people you meet in Heaven - Mitch Albom

4) 1984 - George Orwell

5) The grapes of wrath - John Steinbeck

Presently I am outside India and hence not much into reading. Laid my hands on Life of Pi by Yann Martel, seems interesting.

James Clavell - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Asian Sagas:
King Rat (1962): Set in a Japanese POW camp, 1945
Tai-Pan (1966): Set in Hong Kong, 1841
Shōgun (1975): Set in feudal Japan, 1600
Noble House (1981): Set in Hong Kong, 1963
Whirlwind (1986): Set in Iran, 1979

Only one remaining:
Gai-Jin (1993): Set in Japan, 1862

One of the finest story tellers. He wrote some really big books. The Shogun for instance was over 6000 ebook pages and the Whirlwind (hardback) will kill someone if thrown hard enough.
If you like reading intrigue, suspense and fiction based on actual events. He is the best.

I have also read his
The Art of War, a translation of Sun Tzu's famous book (1983)
Most of it went over my head but loved it all the same.

While most of his books have been made into movies or TV series. King Rat deserves a special mention. The acting, direction etc make it one of the finest POW movie.