those hours spend in kitchen !

merry xmas

Idgah and Other Stories - Munshi Premchand aka Dhanpat Rai

Idgah and other stories by Premchand
Retold by Geetika Jain
Illustrated by Tanaya Vyas
Published by Mango, DC Books

Kudos to all the people mentioned above. This tiny book is highly recommended for children and those who love to read short stories esp that of Mushiji. There are 3 short stories in this collection - Idgah, Mukti Marg and Panch Parmeshwar.  The first story is part of CBSE primary Hindi syllabus - a very cute little story. The stories paint the rural India of '80s  and explore basic human nature like love, sacrifice, greediness, spite, friendship, responsibility, social justice etc. The book ends with a write up about the author. Don't miss it.

morning rush

''Ah!  She goes with 3 kids early in the morning, leaving me alone'', says Boz.
 ''Oh, you are so lucky, you can go and come with your kids'', says everybody else.

 Fine.

What about cooking breakfast, preparing 4 tiffin boxes and dressing up?  Recently we change our bus.  The new bus driver Babool bhaiyya comes at 6.50 ! Our previous bus used to come at 7.05 and first one at 7.10!  My precious morning minutes.  I send Junior first at 6.50,  The bus will be already there. Never mind.  Junior trumpets through intercom and the girls go next.  Afterwards I run and rush to catch the bus.  Every single day!  Mr Babool's clock runs 10 mts fast.

''Ma'm, no problem.  I need to collect and drop one more set of rascals.  You take your own time.  It's ok'', says Babool bhaiyya.

Of course, it is better late than arrive ugly.  But these morning jogs make a huge dent in my self-esteem. Sighs...

killing gtalk

I hereby sign out from Gtalk forever. Gtalk  is breathing its last. And all my precious contacts are in whatsapp n viber. Why waste space in mobile?

Thanks for giving me space to pour out my heart for half a decade. Cheers !

in honour of our canadian citizens

Geronimo Stilton - Elisabetta Dami

 This post is dedicated to my daughter n her friends - little fans of the famouse Geronimo Stilton ! I totally enjoy these fabumousely cheesy pieces also the Malayalam version of Geronimo Stilton - Detective Rajappan. O! it's fun - the illustrations, the creativity, word games, onomatopoeia and the puns intended.

Just wondering...... do mice really love cheese? 

                                                                                                                                                                          

Ladies Coupe - Anita Nair

Anita Nair of curly locks n big expressive eyes. I became a fan of her magic quill with The Better Man . Her first novel is mostly about men and the second totally on women. Cool.

Hmm. I enjoyed reading the book. An easy read, engrossing too. It chronicles the evolution of 6 women into efficient manipulators to find happiness n fulfillment in their respective lives. Though the narrative becomes grey, depressive and dragging at times, each lady finds out a promising prospective to look forward to and that makes the reader feel good.

Feminism? Women empowerment? What nonsense!  Manipulation - that's the word of the day, the key to success.

The Better Man - Anita Nair

The better Man is Anita Nair's first novel. It is set in Kerala, a village called Kaikurussi. The novel kicks start slowly and laboriously and becomes so picaresque that you can relate to each character in that novel/village. It's like watching an old good Malayalam movie with a good message.

Anita Nair is a great story teller.I loved reading this book. This is one of the best books I've ever read. Thus Anita Nair gets one more admirer to boast about.

Chanakya's Chant - Ashwin Sanghi

The front cover boasts of Shashi Tharoor's praise about the book - ''A delighlightfully interesting and gripping read.''  Allow me to disagree.

The novel is composed of 20 chapters. 10 of them retells the life of Chanakya and the rest reviews the modern political guru Gangasagar Mishra. Though violent n crafty, Chanakya chants with a mission - to unite Bharat under one supreme king Chandragupta Maurya and he succeeds. Mishra's aim is to secure supreme power at any cost and he too attains it through his prodigy Chandini Gupta. I prefer Chanakya. 

I'm a sucker for spiced up historical  and mythological characters n novels. Howbeit, if you have viewed the TV serial Chanakya and watched politrix movies, better avoid this novel, it has nothing new to offer.

Hey, who is your favorite  manipulator? Mine is Krishna ◕‿↼

The Walled City - Esther David

Patroness of Ahmedabadi Jews

Esther David the authoress, artist, sculptor, art critic, columnist, historian and Sahitya Akademi Award winner is the supreme living authority on the history and culture of the Bene Israel Jews of Ahmadabad. As you know the biblical heroine Queen Esther of Persia saves Jewish people from genocide and she personifies beauty, wisdom and valor. Esther David of Ahmedabad lives n stands up to her name. Amen.

The Walled City is Esther's first book and my first Esther book. Also my first Jewish novel without the grim n chilling shadows of the holocaust. Good. The story details the life, customs n conflicts of the secluded Jewish community in Ahmedabad esp that of the womenfolk. It's an emotional n touching tale, a bit depressing. 

Let the walls crumble n the doors open.....

Magic Seeds - Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul

Long time ago, I tried Naipaul's The enigma Of Arrival  but did not reach anywhere. I was hoping better luck with this book - currently the last of his looong literary career. Magic Seeds is a sequel to Half A Life. I was not aware of that. That's fine. You won't miss anything. The novel is not an easy or pleasant read. Of course I can relate to Willie Chandran the drifter, who floats through many a countries, his acute passivity towards life n people and the way he lets events unfold around him perfunctorily. I liked Willie's guerrilla life in India and his monologues but the conclusion of the novel dodged my thick skull.

Naipaul writes 2 novels to remind us that there are no magic seeds to wipe out our troubles ! That's so uncool !! The brute.

The Quilt and other Stories - Ismat Chughtai

 

Ismat Chughtai is a prominent female figure in Urdu Literature. She is the first muslim woman in India to secure both B.A and B.Ed. degrees. She is better known for her controversial short stories. She fights 4 years in Lahore court in 1944 and wins the case against obscenity, lesbianism  and blasphemy arraigned on her short story- The Quilt. Feminist? I don't think so. Her female characters celebrate womanhood to the tilt. That's all.

A tribute to Ismat Chughtai

The Shah Affair

Ismat Apa Ke Naam is a Hindi play directed by Naseeruddin Shah starring Shah, his wife Ratna Pathak Shah and their daughter Heeba Shah. It's one act one-man show. Each actor enacts one story. Of course, the 3 the stories are that of Ismat Chughtai ! It's been a huge success in India n abroad. Pity Begum Chughtai is not around to enjoy the show.

The Quilt and other Stories

 

First of my Penguin Evergreens. Wonder why Penguin cover designs are so drab n dull. Evergreens are a wee bit better than the normal editions. Any ways... There are 10 short stories including the much disputed The Quilt.  I find Gainda most endearing followed by The Homemaker and Touch-Me-Not. The women in all the stories are quite feminine, strong, heady and passionate. Kudos to Ismat Chughtai. Cheers to Penguin Evergreens. And thanks to M.Asaduddin for translating the stories from Urdu to English.                                                                                                                                                                          

A strange and sublime Address and nine stories - Amit Chaudhari

Amit Chaudhari

A living Bengali writer. Famous and successful at that. I mean, I've read and liked a few Bengali writers like Tagore, Ashapoorna Devi, Ray....... but long after their demise. What do you do with puraskars n praises when you get it posthumously? So, Amit Chaudhari. He was born in Calcutta, brought up in Bombay and did college studies in UK. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and bagged Sahitya Akademi Award and Rabindra Puraskar and......many more important awards n accolades. Yeah, big shot he is. Wait... he can sing too. He is a renowned classical singer n composer. Apani mahana Amit bhai !

The book

   A strange and sublime address  is his first novella, an excellent autobiographical piece and he pockets Betty Trask Award and Commonwealth Writer's Prize for the best first book in 1991. Bravo ! The story is the account of Bombayite Sandeep's holiday visits to Calcutta. It takes you back to all those heavenly days spend in your mother's house during summer holidays ! Nostalgia. Euphoria. That's it. Rest of the nine stories sketches Calcutta of 90's in myriad colors. Actually the book should be renamed as 'Calcutta Tales'. Thanks to Picador omnibus, I enjoyed reading the stories and is eager to read the rest of the 2 novels. ♡

The expatriates celebrate their national festival

ഒന്നാം  ഓണം 

രണ്ടാം  ഓണം

മൂന്നാം  ഓണം

Artemis Fowl - Eoin Colfer

In Greek mythology, Artemis is the Goddess of the Hunt, Forest and the Hills and the Moon. Fowl means any kind of edible bird. Then, who is Artemis Fowl? A 12 year old child prodigy from Ireland, filthy rich, tech savvy, brainy , a devious criminal. Unlike Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, Master Fowl has no magic but is impossibly gutsy and doughty. He operates on his own with his bodyguard- Butler ! I like that. 

This is the first book of the series. The book is categorized as young-adult fantasy novel. But I find it too simple for teens. Junior has read all the books. He says the first is the simplest, rest are truly criminally good. So be it. Let the misadventures continue.....

Newroom Live - Prabhat Shunglu

Hats off to Prabhat Shunglu, the senior journalist, he has a big fat profile to boast off. I'm more impressed with his portfolio than his book. Way to go !

Compiled by the veteran reporter of 20 yrs, Newsroom Live rephrases what makes it live and what makes it ticktock. Most of the truths are bitter to swallow though dipped in humor. The book tickles the ribs, makes the reader blow up with rage and sad too. Good work.

Tara Lane - Shama Futehally

nostalgia

This book is like a rivulet - calm, quiet and graceful. And painfully poetic. It takes you back to your childhood memories and lost paradises. The story is of Tahera, her carefree days at her parent's house, marital conflicts, financial challenges and corruption in the society.

Beautiful.

The Crack-Up With Other Pieces And Stories - F Sott Fitzgerald

Warning ! You are advised to google on Fitzgerald or else you may get lost in his word maze.

There are 5 short stories,  of autobiographical nature. I liked his superior writing style. Witty, sharp and sarcastic, it's not an easy read. I'm still struggling with the stories in short form. But I intend to read Fitzgerald's novels ASAP.   

                                      

Dork Diaries - Rachel Renee Russell

This post is dedicated to my own dork @ home, my sweet daughter. She enjoyed reading this book and wanted me to do the same. So, that's it. I luurved the book, the dork and her pestering cutie pie sister. My dork is happy. 

Teens' moms, don't you ever think that Dork Diaries are silly and brash. You are wrong there. They are apostles of family-sibling bonding, friendship and moral values. This diary gives a demo on 'How to manipulate your weakness to your benefit'.

Teens, keep reading.

Welcome to Advertising. Now Get Lost - Omkar Sane

This read is part of getting to know the newbies of Guy Lit. Yes. The lay out/ design / cover of the book is appreciated. I liked the illustrations too. Very interesting. And I absolutely loved the introductions by Cyrus Broacha, Bharat Dabholkar and Gangadharan Menon. Ain't it something worth reading?

The book

 

I hopped in, got lost in many places, had a hearty laugh and popped out unscathed. Thank you-know-who, advertising is not my calling. 

 

The author 

 

I liked the Sane guy instantly. All fatty guys are funny n witty. It's a proven fact. Eg:- Cyrus Broacha. Hee hee. Sane looks quite sane with overworked humor glands. Thus the books. He got talents. See, I have bought both his books. Good luck Sane.

50x3 Grey shades - Erika Leonard

Yeah. The trilogy. Yum. Yum. Actually I had a tough time hiding the 3 books away from the teenagers roaming at home during the reading breaks. And so I devoured the books within a  week and now I'm a certified speed reader. Too bad that I didn't get time to highlight or write footnotes nor ref reminders.

Moral of the story:- A few ideas, objects n positions can color up the grey shade of your life.

Haroun And The Sea Of Stories - Salman Rushdie

Confusion. Confusion. How to categorize this book? Fantasy? Children's Lit? Classic? Political satire? Magical realism? Whatever. It's brilliant to the beat. I loved the names of places n characters like - Kahani, Chup, Princess Batcheat, Prince Bolo, General Kitab, Iff the water genie, Khattam Shud..... But my teenaged junior finds the names a li'l difficult to comprehend. Hindi like Delhi is far far away.... The story is racy, action packed , suspense filled and makes the reader content n victorious at the end. Granted, I find the sequel Luka and the fire of life a better witty and joyful ride.

Rushdie dedicates this story to his then teenaged son. Great. But look at the mother figure. Haroun's mother elopes with their neighbor in the beginning of the story itself and joins them back at the end as cool as a kakdi. What nonsense. Autobiographical?

Another country - Anjali Joseph

 Anjali Joseph:''Stop trying to label me.''   

Hii Anjali, are you a  Malayali ? Half-Malayali ? Google says you are a Bombayite. Not that it matters. Anjali - a commoner in South India. The lack of a surname - so typical of Keralites and so I bought the book because of your name.


Another Country details the dull n dusty daily dramas of Leela Gosh - born in India, brought up in London, works in Paris, London and Bombay. The supposedly modern chick suffers from commitment phobia and dutifully goes through a string of 'boring' affairs. She seems to celebrate the staleness of modern life.

The novel is a freeze-dry read, full of stomach clenching real life situations. I didn't like the former and the latter too bitter to swallow. This surely is not my cappuccino. I'm on holiday.

F?ck Knows - Shailendra Singh

WTF !!

Yet another millionaire entrepreneur wakes up with a porous heart and  BOOM!  Let's welcome Mr Singh, the self anointed self-help guru. f?ck knows.....! What's this book about? All those tried and tested tricks to fire up the buttons of  600 million youths under the age of 25. Thus the title and the language. Why am I reading this book? The same. I share the book with my niece, she grabs, reads, loves n flaunts it in FB. The magic of The 'F' words !

Evaluation

A huge help to be cozy n comfy around the glorious 'F' word. Hereupon you are licensed to boost your f?cking swear-esteem. Refer Urban Dictionary.

F?ck only knows..... that life is not worth a f?ck.

Three Men In A Boat - Jerome K Jerome

Ridiculously hilarious !

Poor poor class 9 students. They need to dissect, assess and evaluate this book - on an exam point of view. What a comic tragedy.

Three Men In A Boat  is an amusing n entertaining boating escapade of 3 friends - Jerome, George n Harris and to say nothing of the dog Montmorency on river Thames. English humor at its best.

The moral of the travelogue :- Read, roar and plan a pleasure trip with friends ASAP. And indulge.

Idle Thoughts of An Idle Fellow - Jerome K Jerome

         on duty                          

Idle thoughts of an idle fellow on varied topics like love, babies, weather, cats and dogs, eating and drinking........ exactly on 14 subjects sprinkled with practical wisdom and warnings. Funny. Witty. Sarcastic. All done on idle mode. That's Jerome K Jerome. I simply loved his musings. Thanks to Jainco Publishers.

'' Idleness, like kisses, to be sweet must be stolen.''

And The Mountains Echoed - Khaled Hosseini

 I buy Khaled Hosseini's new book within 3 weeks ! From DC Books, Cochin. I'm so loving it.

His third novel is not about war and refugees. Of course, I enjoyed Hosseini's previous works and they are two of the best books I have ever read. However, war is war and I'm grateful for this diversion. Hats off to the Afghan story teller.

The story of Abdulla and his sister Pari starts off splendidly with a breathtaking bed time story from Afghanistan and goes through different people scattered far n wide and ends in Abdulla n Pari in a weak knot. It's just like the so called new generation movie that tells the story of different people who are connected to the main character in one way or the other. But in this case, the network is tipsy and draggy. The much anticipated reunion of the brother n sister is the best part of the book.

I gobbled down the book and ......... no, I didn't burp.

The Madman - Khalil Gibran

An amazingly brief and  sagaciously simple collection of witty n slapstick parables and soulful  poems. Brilliant. Once again , thanks a tons to Jainco Publishers for this wonderful omnibus.


“I have found both freedom and safety in my madness; the freedom of loneliness and the safety from being understood, for those who understand us enslave something in us.” 

Never the less, what's madness? What's sanity?

 

Imaginary Homelands - Salman Rushdie

Essays and Criticism 1981-19991. Most of the essays n criticism are not relevant now, at least in my case. Almost 50 authors n their books' reviews. The majority are strangers to me. The last session, the most personal part in defense of  Satanic Verses exposes Mr Rushdie the volatile but vulnerable being. But I haven't read Satanic Verses. Then what makes me read this book from cover to cover? The essays are heavily informative, criticisms inflammable, book reviews imperial and language immortal.

Imaginary Homelands. Yeah.

Fury - Salman Rushdie

“Life is fury, he'd thought. Fury — sexual, Oedipal, political, magical, brutal — drives us to our finest heights and coarsest depths. Out of fury comes creation, inspiration, originality, passion, but also violence, pain, pure unafraid destruction, the giving and receiving of blows from which we never recover. The Furies pursue us; Shiva dances his furious dance to create and also to destroy. But never mind about gods! This is what we are, what we civilize ourselves to disguise — the terrifying human animal in us, the exalted, transcendent, self-destructive, untrammeled lord of creation.” 

The above quote says it all, the gist of the novel. It speaks about the furies that control us and make us furious. So? What are we to do? Right now I'm furious at this semi-autobiographical verbal diarrhoea. Rage is a better word, I think. Rage.

Ginger on Mother's Day

The Enchantress of Florence - Salman Rushdie

A pandemonic  cocktail of history, fantasy and magic. A bizarre attempt on magical realism. The captivating language mends all the damages. To tell you the truth, I enjoyed the book esp the parts about the Mughal Emperor Akbar. Charmed. Yes. Enchanted? No.

Skipping Christmas - John Grisham

A slapstick comedy from the master of legal thrillers ! What a surprise ! The novella is a light, fun read. It reminds one of  A Christmas Carol  and all those Christmas and Santa Claus movies with lots of snow n lights.

If you are a hardcore Grisham fan, skip reading this book. You won't miss a thing except a few LOL moments.

Who will cry when you die? - Robin Sharma

 101 simple solutions to your most complex problems ? Yes , solutions are easy to read , follow them would be a big problem. Robin Sharma cajoles and coaxes the reader to write a journal , join the 5o'clock club , create a love account and so on. One suggestion poked my imagination - make a list of people you wish to live next door . Ahem..... My list looks too outrageous and scandalous to publish here. Shocked....ahehehe.


By the way, who will cry when you die?  Read this book, solve those 101 problems and die happily. Let the whole world mourn and cry.....

Miss Fortune - Brandi Dougherty

Awwsome ! An absolute funny n freaky n scary book for gals. And a therapeutic 'howl out loud' for middle aged girls.

Seriously.

You are risen

Sorry for the delay. We were waiting for our relatives to come down from Bengaluru and Bahrain. So your resurrection was delayed one week. Forgive us.

Happy Easter !

Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden

The 21st anniversary vintage edition of Memoirs of a Geisha has this different cover design -  an apt quote from the author, Arthur Golden:- 

Hear, hear !

The book takes one to a totally different era - of tea parlors, geishas , kimonas n fascinating Japanese culture n traditions. It tells the making of a geisha, the female companion, a maitre d' art. No pain, no gain. Thus the story is naturally heart rending and touching but not spell bounding. All the same, it cocoons a beautiful love story too. 

No, I haven't seen the movie starring 'The crouching tiger, hidden dragon' Zhang Ziyi and 'The silver hawk' Michelle Yeoh. Waiting.....

Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov

Lolita - the journal of a white widowed pedophile. It can be rightly referred as a manual on pedorosis. Had it been 2 decades before, I would have enjoyed the book. Since I have 2 nymphets of my own, the confessions of Humbert Humbert  has been reduced into a hideous, lecherous tale of child/sex abuse. Part 1 is hot and Part 2  plain gross.

Lolita is a mixed bag. A chilling yet compelling read. The topic is taboo, the content erotic. A foghorn on pedophiles and not so innocent nymphets. Funny n witty. B-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l language. Perfect imagery. The result - a masterpiece!

A Brief History Of Time - Stephen Hawkins

Though a Science graduate, my affinity towards Physics starts and ends with Newton's third law of motion - 'For every action, there is an equal n opposite reaction'. O! Yes, I believe it and can vouchsafe it.

This beginners' manual to cosmology is a surprisingly sunny n sprightly book. First of all the book can be read like a novel. It's very simple, transparent and funny. Secondly, this can be a reference material for science buffs , atheists n agnostics. It simplifies the big bang n big crunch theories and black holes along with the chronological account of all the discoveries and contributions of various scientists starting from Aristotle! Mr Hawkins also details almost all the theories n assumptions put forward regarding the origin n fate of the universe. And he wonders aloud about the role of God in creation and evolution. A wonderful and inspiring read.

By the by, what is the purpose of those watery and not so luminous briefs about Einstein, Galilei and Newton at the end of the book!? Bah!

So, let's hope and wait, or work with Hawkins for a unified theory that explains the how and why of the universe and the place of us and God in it.

Mister God, This Is Anna - Fynn

Religious/spiritual ambiguity is an eternal pain. It's like Humpty Dumpty sitting on the wall. Fall is inevitable. To which side is the question. 

Knock....knock....

This motivational book is sprinkled with pearls, collected by Fynn from Anna's brainbox. A handful of them are thought provoking, clarifies some uncertainties, a few are ambiguous and the rest needs a second reading.


Anna is an 8 year old girl. She knows everything about God, the Universe and the art of living. She loves God and everyone n everything with her whole being. She prays to God to help her ask real questions. Anna's Mister God is not a superman who hasn't shaved for about six months, with whiskers n crown nor he useful or usable. 'He is the author of all things, the creator of all things, omnipotent, omniscient and the kingpin-the center. Yet he waits outside n knocks to come in. That makes Mister God a sweetie and us very important. Fancy Mister God taking second place! Ain't that something!'

Yeah, fancy Mister God waiting outside to get in...

Luka and The Fire of Life - Salman Rushdie

Once upon a time, I started reading Rushdie's Midnight Children and got stuck in page 4. Long long time ago, I tried to get a copy of his Satanic Verses but failed. So, this is my first Rushdie book. And Oh! I'm stupefied n delighted.

This fantastic fantasy has been written as a b'day gift for his second son. And this is a sort of  sequel to Haroun and the Sea of Stories which was a gift to his first son. Perfect.

Luka Khalifa lives in the city of Kahani in Alifbay with his father, the Shah of Blah, mother Soraya, brother Haroun, pets- Bear the dog n Dog the bear. The book depicts his adventures in the Magical World created by his father , to steal The Fire of Life, in order to save his father from eternal sleep. Lyrical, rich with word-play, the quest is funny, thrilling and very much chichi n mod. 

Relish.

Train to Pakistan - Kushwant Singh

Set in a small village in Punjab, this grim n gripping historical tale illustrates the aftermath of partition, communal riots, massacres, exodus n plight of refugees. Was it this easy to round up and dump a herd of people to Pakistan? Was it this easy to murder n parcel out a trainload of people to India? Gross.

A must read for the proud patriots who celebrate the freedom struggle saga of India.

The Color Purple - Alice Walker

A very painful and touching saga novel. It tells the sad n pathetic story of an African American woman, Celie. The novel is in epistolary form - a collection of 90 letters, most of them addressed to God. The theme is incest, mental n physical abuse, racism, sexism, religion, homosexuality and women empowerment. The 90th letter addressed to God, stars, trees, sky, people n everything puts a happy end to the heartrending story. Some relief. The language is extremely crude n raw, so  are the characters.

Did you see what I saw? Black/colored/purple, fat/skinny/svelte, the womenfolk support each other n stick together throughout the novel. It's so very important, so wonderful.

'epic'

Epic? You mean 'epic'? Yes, that's the new word of the kalari. Awesome. Hey, awesome is past.  I'm so relieved about 'awesome'. But epic? Perhaps we should do some dictionary digging.
Here we go-

1. epic

   ˈɛpɪk/

   noun

   1. 1.

      a long poem, typically one derived from ancient oral tradition, narrating the deeds and adventures of heroic or legendary figures or the past history of a nation.

      synonyms:

      heroic poem, long poem, long story;

      • 
        
   2. 2.

      informal

      an exceptionally long and arduous task or activity.

      "the business of getting hospital treatment soon became an epic"

   adjective

   1. 1.

      relating to or characteristic of an epic or epics.

      "our national epic poem Beowulf"

      synonyms:

      heroic, long, grand, monumental, vast, Homeric, Miltonian;
   2. 2.

      heroic or grand in scale or character.

      "his epic journey around the world"

      synonyms:

      ambitious, heroic, grand, arduous, extraordinary, Herculean;

Yes. Epic the adjective. This is what you call - word power. Pretty impressive. The usage is the only concern.

" He has re-test in all the subjects. E-p-i-c.'' 

Aleph - Paulo Coelho

I'm a fat fan of Paulo Coelho's novels, not of his memoirs/ journeys esp that of 'his magical traditions'. This book depicts the cause n effects of the author's long tedious journey undertaken to escape from his spiritual ennui. He meets the girl he had loved n betrayed 500 years ago and they enter The Aleph n get a clear vision of their past. The girl condones all his sins - of past n present - and he returns home a brand new man. The first half of the narration is simply exhausting and the rest is quite racy n thrilling.

This autobiographical account can be valuable n beneficial for those who believe in signs, reincarnations n Aleph. 

Aleph is the universe; we are the universe; therefore we are The Aleph. Why search somewhere else?