12 short stories with twisted tails , out of which 9 were written while incarcerated for 2 years in 5 different prisons ! One is even set in India !! The criminal doesn't always get away with his crime , justice doesn't always prevail. Archer claims the last story- 'In the eye of the beholder'- to be his favorite , but the pun at the end totally escaped through my thin-head.
Jails look such a tempting abode; I , for one is ready to go to any prison if the outcome is something like this...
A collection of 12 short stories with a twist at the end- in the very last sentence. Let's check the surprise quotient of Jeffrey Archer:
- The perfect murder: First of all it was not a murder but an accident. He was the foreman of the jury!! Does that twist make any big difference? Surprisingly bland .
- Clean sweep Ignatius: Neat, clean sweep at the end.
- A LA CARTE: An emotional tale about filial relationship. Cute and sweet without twists and turns.
- Not the real thing: Totally sarcastic with a perfect end.
- Just good friends: It's crystal clear from the second page onwards. meaw..meaw...
- The steal: Funny story with a smart twist .
- Colonel Bullfrog: A striking war time story with a touching end.
- Checkmate: Short and tickling tail.
- The wine taster: The joke just bounced off me. It's high time I dedicate sometime for wine too.
- A chapter of accidents: Ha ha ha simply hilarious
- The loophole: Missed out on the loophole here.
- Christina Rosenthal: A sad and touching love story
Final verdict : Better admit it - you are a certified nincompoop.
Published in 1960,the novel bagged The Pulitzer Prize in 1961. It's a required high school text in America and Canada. This classic novel is set in South America during the 1930's. The only one novel written by Harper Lee, it covers issues like rape , racism , courage , compassion , prejudice and hypocrisy. And she chooses to tell it through the eyes of a child with a rare kind of humor and irony. It's designed to make people think and act. Yes , it's important to walk around in someone else's shoes in order to truly understand them.
Definitely one of those books you should read before you die.
Marquez is one of my favorite authors. I see magic in his works. I'm not an authority to babble about 'magic realism'. This story is short , sharp and totally realistic. It is about the expectations and hopes of a retired colonel. He has been waiting for his much promised pension for fifteen years and his future lies with his prize rooster and the pension money. A simple and interesting story.
Unusual, unconventional and incredible, The Zahir is about finding love and keeping it aflame within and outside any relationship. A must read for polyamorous couples who are in search of absolute love at any cost. As usual the novel is sandwiched with loads of chewable quotes:
- Stability is inseparable from a deep sense of tedium.
- What is fidelity? The feeling that I possess a body and soul that aren't mine.
- Its not life that matters, but the journey.
- Waiting is painful. Forgetting is painful. But not knowing which to do is the worst kind of suffering.
- Close the door, change the record, clean the house, get rid of the dust. Stop being who you were and become who you are.
- When someone leaves, it's because someone else is about to arrive - I'll find love again.
During one cold and rainy winter night, Mary , her husband and their friend Lord Byron , make up ghost stories to pass their time. Soon it turns into a story-telling competition. That night Mary sees a monster in her dream. She tells the story to Percy and Byron the following day and Frankenstein is born. Her husband one of the major Romantic poets has many poems , essays and short stories to his credit. She writes only one book and it becomes a classic ! The novel is written in epistolary form and wisely points out what happens when man in his vanity attempts to usurp the role of God.There has been many literary and movie adaptations and remakes based on this horror drama. Unlike the general perception, Frankenstein is not the monster but his creator , the scientist. The monster refers himself as the' fallen angel'. Indeed.
Told simple and directly from the heart, this book is a collection of real-life experiences of Mrs Murthy as a social worker,teacher and writer. They analyse human nature and reflect the souls of the people of India. Most of the tales are quite touching and heart-wrenching.
The book is dedicated to Infosys Foundation. So, she is the chairperson of Infosys Foundation, not of Infosys Limited !! Does it matter much ? Sudha Murthy can be rightly baptized as the 'Mother Teresa of Karnataka', I presume.
