[carboy]

I have some cricket books.

Gavaskar's books - good, but contains some racist stuff.
Atherton's autobiography, Mike Brearley's Art of Captaincy (fabulous book).
and few more I don't remember now.

[manolin]

Originally Posted by naveenroy

I had gone home for a short vacation so had ordered Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson to read at home. It was a bit of a drag in the first few pages but I plodded on and now, it is going on at breakneck speed. So much so I am back in BLR and do not want to continue

His baroque cycle has become very boring, in that they all follow the same structure of writing about three generations of families, and his books have at least 150 extra pages. The editors could definitely do a better job.

Originally Posted by Flying Djinn

More than a decade after i watched the movie, i've started reading 'The Fight club'. The prose at times is just utterly brilliant but i felt like the movie screenplay has pretty much reproduced the book in it's entirety (i mean in terms of the dialogues). I'm going to watch the movie again after i finish it

You wake up at SeaTac.

You could read Philip k Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep and then see the movie Bladerunner. carbon copy screen play. both are superb.

Originally Posted by arrowaby

Im currently reading Freedom at midnight and it is one gripping book about India's partition. The way in which India was partitioned and the politics and detail that went behind the whole saga.

The book is super detailed and a lot of research has gone into it.

haha! Some parts are fictional, so take care. It was my source of history till i learnt better much later.

Originally Posted by Eddy

I admit - its been ages since I last read a book in Hindi.

If you ever were into hindi pulp, Surendar Mohan Pathak's pulp hindi books have been translated and are now available. Superb stuff. like watching a bollywood movie in english (without the feeling of discomfort that comes from seeing a native phrase being said in English - the translator has done a great job). The 65 Lakh Heist 8190605658: Book: Surender Mohan Pathak Translated By Sudarshan Purohit (9788190605656) | Flipkart.com

Originally Posted by amtak

I have just now caught on to the reading fever. I have finished all of Chetan Bhagat series + some other ones; prefer reading fiction and only Indian. Any recommendations? IITians + love + drama is what I like!

Can I recommend a book by my good friend - The Angels Share by Satyajit Sarna. its been in the best sellers list for last 2 months (I too feature in the book:-)).

Originally Posted by naveenroy

Now reading All Quiet on the Western Front - a book about experiences of a few German soldiers in the World War. Nice translation, I should say!

One of my all time favourite books. I have been thinking about seeing the movie adaptation which is also supposed to be very good. One just can't feel jingoistic about war after reading this book.

[vijaythacker]

Just started with An Autobiography of a Yogi.

[naveenroy]

Originally Posted by manolin

His baroque cycle has become very boring, in that they all follow the same structure of writing about three generations of families, and his books have at least 150 extra pages. The editors could definitely do a better job.

And I was just about to update about this book. Man, what a drag! I mean, I am unable to move forward after around 3/4 of the book! It got so boring and the prose so monotonous that I had to drop it to move back to A Dance with Dragons.

Originally Posted by manolin

One of my all time favourite books. I have been thinking about seeing the movie adaptation which is also supposed to be very good. One just can't feel jingoistic about war after reading this book.

Yup. Awesome book. I got the movie and still have to watch it.

[Samurai]

In the year 2000, Tom Clancy wrote the book The Bear and the Dragon.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bear_and_the_Dragon

As a keen follower of Jack Ryan series, I had read it then.

Recently I am doing a complete re-read of those novels on Kindle, and now I am reading this one. While doing it, I came across this passage and couldn't stop laughing.

This is the financial state of China (PRC) according to Tom Clancy.



If he re-reads that passage now, he is going to cringe for a month and find a place to hide.

[mallumowgli]

Originally Posted by Samurai

In the year 2000, Tom Clancy wrote the book The Bear and the Dragon.

As a keen follower of Jack Ryan series, I had read it then.

Recently I am doing a complete re-read of those novels on Kindle, and now I am reading this one. While doing it, I came across this passage and couldn't stop laughing.

This is the financial state of China (PRC) according to Tom Clancy.

If he re-reads that passage now, he is going to cringe for a month and find a place to hide.

There are many such instances, where there has been a skewed view of the East by the west

Fist of God by Frederick Forsyth - Allies going on a chase of Nuclear Weapons in Iraq. In reality it turned out to be wild goose chase

Wheels by Arthur Hailey - The author's view on Japanese cars comes out through the opinion of one of the characters. He had derided Jap cars by saying they are nothing more that two motorcylces connected together.

All these guys had to eat their words ultimately

[arup.misra]

Mostly fictional reading

a) The Immortals of Mehula - Completed
b) The Secret of Nagas - Completed
c) Dongri to Dubai - Completed
d) Chankya's Chant - About to finish
e) India's Biggest Cover Up - Yet to begin

[carboy]

Originally Posted by mallumowgli

Wheels by Arthur Hailey - The author's view on Japanese cars comes out through the opinion of one of the characters. He had derided Jap cars by saying they are nothing more that two motorcylces connected together.

All these guys had to eat their words ultimately

I have read Wheels many times, but the last time was probably 15+ years back. I don't recall the part about deriding Jap Cars. However, if Arthur Hailey has put it in his book - it's probably because he has heard some Detroit guy saying the same thing - Hailey's books are very highly researched.

Anyway, even if it was his opinion, I don't see why he should eat his words - unless his opinion was that Japanese stuff can never be good.

Wheels is a 40+ year old book. At the time, Japanese cars/electronics were thought of in the same way Chinese stuff is today.

[.sushilkumar]

Just finished "Beyond the Lines: An Autobiography". Clearly disappointed with the book. except for few para;s , it;s complete rubbish with author more or less indulging in self gratification. Author do tries to create controversies with fails in the End most probably to boost sales. a big thumbs down to my Nayar .

Another book i am reading these days is "His Majesty’s Opponent: Subhas Chandra Bose and India’s Struggle against Empire"

Have read few chapters. it provide a Good insight into Life of Mr Bose.

[mallumowgli]

Originally Posted by carboy

I have read Wheels many times, but the last time was probably 15+ years back. I don't recall the part about deriding Jap Cars. However, if Arthur Hailey has put it in his book - it's probably because he has heard some Detroit guy saying the same thing - Hailey's books are very highly researched.

Anyway, even if it was his opinion, I don't see why he should eat his words - unless his opinion was that Japanese stuff can never be good.

Wheels is a 40+ year old book. At the time, Japanese cars/electronics were thought of in the same way Chinese stuff is today.

No offence sir. Wheels is a good read, and I know Hailey researches well. (though not my kind of fiction)Even Forsyth does. But my point was about how the West viewed the East in general. There was a great deal of disdain about all things Asian, and is still present, though there is a little change from earlier

[promit]

Finished the girl with the dragon tattoo and girl who played with fire recently.Just started the girl who kicked the hornets nest. Stieg Larsson is a genius! What do you guys think about the millennium trilogy? Which of them is the best?

[ampere]

One of the very popular IBM books

Who says elephant's cant dance.

http://www.amazon.com/Who-Says-Eleph...+can%27t+dance

Makes a nice read and gives a perspective of how IBM was/is in comparison to more agile companies like Apple (Read Walter Isacson's biography of Jobs)

[ninjatalli]

Picking a list of top 5 would be tough for me considering the wide range of choices. But the top book for me is easy - nothing beats the Silmarillion by Tolkien for me. Loved that book, even more than LOTR or the Hobbit.

Currently reading Ambani & Sons by Hamish McDonald. Quite a candid viewpoint of the Ambani family! An Ambani loyalist might view it as a critic/negative view of the family operations, but my dad who has worked in that organization for over 20 years clearly agrees with a lot of points made by the author.

Edit: Lovely thread. Wonder why I didn't see it earlier. Rating it 5 stars!

[a*ed]

Finished reading the first part of the four part "trilogy" by Douglas Adams i.e., The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Must say it's such a nice read and the characters are funny!

Also, finished reading Deception Point by Dan Brown. Although the last 50-100 pages flew by quickly, somehow felt something was missing once the book was done.

Please do suggest me more books in the espionage/spy thriller genre.

[Samurai]

As a teenager I used to hunt for interesting books all the time. Once in 1985 I saw couple of interesting books on Physics in a book exhibition and bought them. Those books were a revelation. Many of the dry scientific facts taught in school suddenly fell in place. These books were originally written 1913 in Russian language. They still are very relevant. A must read for children who want better understanding of science than taught in schools or tuition.

I found them today at my brother's home where he still keeps the old collection. Now I am going to make sure my son reads it.