Book reviews

Well  the tag “Indian Idle” suits me pretty well . Indian idle?  Oh! Let me enlighten you, I  recently completed my graduation, (ofcourse with no so impressive performance anyway ) , and been idle after that. Time is running  with a  snail speed lately. I m spending time watching movies, watching television and one thing I like the most Reading books, which  outweighs every other hobby . I enjoy reading anything other than my academics, ranging from a silly romantic one’s to a wrenching horror  one’s. So I read three novels in the last week. “Kane and Abel”, “Best Laid plans”, “Master  of game” .

I immensely enjoyed kane and Abel and Master of game. So here are the quick reviews .

Kane and Abel :- Jeffrey Archer consistently produced the best selling books at an impressive rate. I  kickstarted off reading his books with classic “Kane and Abel” . I must say, he certainly had the endowment  to spellbound his readers.  

This story Kane and Abel  is about two individuals , William Kane  and Abel Rosnovski , who were born on the same day, one in rising nation USA and the other in a less known nation Poland.Kane  is son of a boston millionaire and Abel is a penniless orphan who was adopted by a poor polish woodcutter’s  family,after his mother  is found dead in the woods.The first half of novel is completely emphasized on their careers, Kane who is living his dream, being born rich. Abel  was struggling from the pangs of the world war 1. After living a hell  ,Abel migrates to USA, started working as a waiter in some less known hotel. And as the story unfolds, he becomes a minor stake holder in the upcoming hotel chain.William grows up to become the chairman of one of the leading banks of USA.When the Great Economy downfall of 1929 is outright, they confronted each other in an unpleasant way,that follows  the series of actions by both kane and abel, to strike each other down for the next two generations.

Jeffrey archer excellently weaved the story of Kane and abel around the  major incidents of early 20^th century. It's like a ride of  fiction in the non fictional setting. Awesome attention has been paid to Character development as Archer takes us into the lives of each of the protagonists-neither glorifying them nor belittling them.The same characters keep coming again and again ,in the different parts of the story.  

What I like the most about the book is, the book is completely in touch with the happenings of the world.From drowing of  Titanic , to the world wars, even to the great economy downfall of 1929.

One weakness  in the  plot is ,the inadequate reason for the altercation between kane and abel,other wise story is pretty fast. 

Rating :- 5/5

Master of Game :-  Sidney Sheldon is really a master in capturing romance,greed ,twist,intrigue ,suspense. This is story of big business that spans entire 4 generations.The story starts with Jamie Mcgregor who leaves Scotland to South Africa in pursuit of diamonds. Jamie mcgregor’s story is worth the price of the book alone.The entire first part is about him. After a lot of struggle, Jamie finds handful of diamonds only to be cheated by Van der merwe. Later on,with the help of Banda  he steals loads of diamonds  worth a fortune from the heavily guarded van der merwe mine fields.He returns to the diamond field and destroys entire Van der merwe’s business, and marries her daughter Margaret.

Second child of Jamie and  Maggie was Kate , Kate does not get to know her father and brother as both were killed in South Africa’s slave uprising. Margaret runs the company along with Jamie's deputy  David.

The second part of the story is about Kate ,Who married David and gave birth to Tony, and how she involved with the lives of  children and grand children She is cunning, manipulative yet brilliant in business . I must say the book has lost it’s plot here,  but still it’s enjoyable. 

This book was very good , loved it

Rating :4/5

Best Laid Plans :- Sidney Sheldon again. I didn’t liked this book much. The entire novel relies on the twist at the end.  This story is about three individuals  Leslie stewart, Oliver Russell , Dana Evans . Leslie vows to take revenge on Oliver who is the president of US. And Dana evans was the reporter who works for WTE ,owned by Leslie stewart. I don’t want to spoil the fun of the reader by revealing the story and twist. 

Moral of the story? Stop obsessing and move one, revenge would only make you more miserable

On the other note I loved the twist,I never saw that coming.  But still this novel no where near sheldon’s other works like bloodline, Tell me ur dreams, If tomorrow comes

Rating :- 3/5 

  Note :- The scale is based on the ratings below 

1.         (1) My  Electro magnetics book is better than  the book

2.       (2) Ignore it

3.       (3) Good

4.        (4) I  recommend you to read this

5.        (5) Humdinger

The journey of heaven ends here...

There is nothing more lyrical in life than the last few days of college. College life is surely a bliss.infact, they are the best days of everyone’s life. I had my last final semister of my engineering ,yesterday. And yes after that we gathered  in our classroom to share one last moment together. Every one was so nostalgiac,  ,hugging ,wishing ,promising each other that they would be in contact. Ahh!  I am really going to miss  college life. The very tag “the student” is going to be despised off from my life.I  am no more a student.

I  seem to remember my first day of college like it happened yesterday.The mixed emotions, the fear , the happiness, nervousness as I stood in front of college edifice , all seem so vivid. And now when everything seemed so settled ,its time to go. These four years of engineering presented me many good memories and offcourse few bad ones too. But good memories heavily outweigh the bad ones.Yeah! the bad ones are especially the exams , they really are pain in the ass. My first year of engineering was ordinary, My batch mates - we are not that over friendly or close knit group to begin with. As the months passed by we became thickest of friends.then started the real fun .I still remember the first  bunk , we went to a movie named “Happy days” ,which was quite a sensation that time. That’s when the actual bonding started. My most memorable day was dec 31^st  of my 1^st year, I don’t know if my friends still  remember that day, we went to movie “mantra”. I don’t want to get in to details what we did after the movie .All I can say is,that was perhaps the best bunk :P

And all those countless bunks, the films during strike days, getting fired by our teachers,), running aroung taking Xerox of important answers for internals, innumerous scowls from our lecturers during classes, copying assignments just an hour before submission.the outcries whenever we hear the word “assignments” , sending messages hiding under the bench, silly excuses whenever we get caught doing that, and  those cricket matches, those birthday treats, those heated debates on each on every small thing(mostly Mahesh vs NTR and Dravid vs Tendulkar).Ohh! God I m badly gonna miss these happy days.Nevertheless, I m going to comeup with all my wonderful experiences with my  college sooner or later , atleast I could relive those memories  with the blog posts :)

 I  wish all my friends “all the best” for their future endeavours.I hope to stay connected with you all :)

Bleed Blue

            It’s been a while since I have posted here.My apologies straight away.  A lot has happened in these days . The one that top’s was definitely india’s recent world cup triumph. Finally after 28 years  long and impatient wait , India  lifted their very own world cup again . Well , the main man behind all this was dhoni, with his extremely unorthodox tactics and brilliant field placements , he literally surprised the teams and no wonder sachin has phrased him as the best captian he has ever played under. Let’s not forget the heroics of Yuvraj, who was consistent throughout the  tournament and bagged 4 well earned man of the matches along with the man of the Tournament. Zaheer,with out dubiety the pick of the bowlers with 21 wickets , he simply raised to the occasion when ever his captian looked for a miracle. Last but not the least God Sachin himself with two centuries and second in the list of most runs getters, he once again proved why he is called God of cricket.If there is any man who plays with out seeking  much attention,it’s Gautham Gambhir.He is one who scores big especially in finals.Remember the 75 against Pakistan in 2007 worldcup final ,eventually we went on to win  the inaugural T20 world cup.

            India has consistently won all the matches under pressure and from the position where it seemed they may lose.It was always due to overall team performance and someone or the other chipping in at the right time  to make India win .With the semifinal clash the last remaining gaps in terms of weak,inconsistent bowling,performing badly in the batting powerplay and average fielding are all filled . No sooner MSD hit the six off Nuwan Kulasekara , the entire country erupted in Euphoria.Honking horns, fans spilled in to the streets on the motar cycles. I heard the crackers for each and every boundary that was scored.

            Personally my  favourite matches in this world cup were matches  with England and Australia. Especially Australia, they almost scared the hell the out of me. I was on my nerves for the entire match.Thanks to suresh raina who scored a brilliant 34 to save the match.

            I  enjoyed this world cup thoroughly,not only the matches but the Advertisements too. One ad that really amused me was Dhoni’s Helicophter shot , I was so inspired by that add ,that I tried  helicopter during our recent college match.Much to my abashment, the ball went nowhere ,except that it made terrible mess with the stumps lolz!. Apart from Dhoni’s helicophter,Bhajji’s Doosra, Kp’s palti, Sehwag upar cut(no comments on his dance :p) ,Dilshan’s scoop(the girl is gorgeous)  and Malinga’s slinga were also cool. 

           So finally leavning this famous picture before you , Actually this has been popular picture in this world cup(after ind-aus match) Lolz......

          

Let's pray for Japan

     

         Despite an elegant warning system, japan still suffered the worst tsunami .The Quake followed by Tsunami battered Japan ,swepting away everything  in its path houses,cars, and factories  setting many on fire.To add to the worst , the quake that has struck is the largest ever  in Japan, and fifth strongest  on record. 

         Hundreds of people are found dead  ,and thousands of people went  missing .This is probably the worst day for the people of Japan.We all need to pray.Some say these are the signs of times or nature’s wrath. what ever it is, the monstrous waves  showed no clemency, destroying the beautiful world . Let’s pray for the people of Japan. 

          I  came across something called Supermoon and crap , I really wonder if  it has anything to do with the earth quake.

A Diary

 

It was lovely morning  . The sounds  of  birds chirping and the commotion from the vehicles passing by, had awakened her. She rose from her bed, stretched and went to the mirror .She saw herself  in the mirror and felt something strange about her face. She then started scribbling in the  diary , which dated 13th Feb 2001. Writing diary is one of her favourite hobby and she does that every day, with out fail.

"It's my 16th birthday" She exclaimed to herself  “Hope I will have a good day ahead” .

She tied her long hair in an utmost fashioned way and excitedly went in to the bathroom . Though it’s her birthday today, She still have to go to school.Infact the thought of  school,has enthralled  her. She is so desperate to see all the presents from her friends. She then had a shower, dressed herself , packed the books back in to the bag . Suddenly the room is filled with delicious aroma of the dishes on the dining table.

“How thoughtful  Mom is, She really loves me a lot”  She exclaimed while she placed her bag on to the next chair

But she hadn’t seen her Mom yet, as well as her dad, her younger brother . “Oh! Dad must have gone to his work.My brother? I bet he is still sleeping.Mom surely went to market to prepare special food for my birthday” And she went on to dining room, to have her breakfast .

Right after finishing her breakfast , She approached her school bag ,which to her surprise is missing . “Oh! Surely I have  kept it here,few minutes before .Maybe someone is playing with me, must be my younger brother.He always makes fun of me” .  she entered in to her brother’s room to ask him about the missing school bag ,but she didn’t find him there. She thought that her brother is hiding somewhere and put some little play on her.She still have half hour to find him,she knew she can’t go to school without the school bag .

She looked around the house, checked every room, but no luck . She looked at her wristwatch “I still got 15 minutes, I have to find my brother, atleast my school bag .The school bus will be here anytime by now” 

She went back to her room and found the diary on the floor. She took hold of it, and placed it back on the table,Where she notices something strange about the diary .The diary looks old,as if it had gone through many years. "I bought this diary a month back.I remember, I saw it looking neat and tidy,earlier this morning” She thought . She opened the diary and dumbfounded by what she saw. The pages were yellowish, like the pages were decade old now 

“This can’t be!” She squalled 

She looks confused coz of what happening around her .Hoping to get some fresh air,she went towards the window and got the sight of newspaper delivery boy. She remembered the delivery boy, he used to bring the broadsheets to her. This isn’t him. He is someother guy.As the delivery boy looked at the window , fears written all over him .He stormed out of that place on his bicycle leaving the newspaper bundle then and there,in no time .He didn’t even looked back and the bundle of newspapers went unnoticed 

She realizes he’s not the one, who used to deliver the newspapes before,but why the sudden rush?

She goes outside, picked the newspapers and decided to get back in to the house.

As she enters in to the house, suddenly the room is filled with queer darkness.She then realized the tall trees sheltered around the house. She never seen these trees before. How could I get out and get in , even without noticing these trees.

She goes off to her bedroom ignoring these mixed thoughts ,still holding the bundle of newspaper.She fell her body on to the bed reading the newspaper.while she was reading the front page, something has strucked her.She was dumbstricken.

She hastily opens her diary ,it was dated feb 13^th 2001 . but why the newspaper has the date feb 13^th 2011 . “Is this a typographical error “?

“This can’t be!” She couldn’t believe her eyes and fell out unconsciousness

                                                       *    *     *

The youngman on the bicycle came home and his grandmother notices him petrified  and horrified . The boy explains to her what he saw , when he passed by along the road, Where the huge bunglow lies.

 “Oh!  So you saw Arushi!”

 “Arushi?”

 “Arushi have been dead for 10 years now .She was murdered on her birthday,the case has not been resolved yet .People say that every year she used to appear around her house ,on her birthday”

 “That’s really frightening, grand ma”

 “No! you shouldn’t be frightened, let’s pray for her soul, to be at peace.

Liked Line

"What I must do is all that concerns me. This rule, equally arduous in actual and intellectual life, may serve for the whole distinction between greatness and meanness. It is harder because you will always find those who think they know what is your duty better than you know it."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

My latest obsession

                            Aliens,monsters,Robots,Time machines,Spaceships,Superhuman powers, Mutants .Yes! this post is all about science fiction,my recent obsession.For the past two weeks , i have been watching science fiction movies, downloading the same genre too. dunno why? may be they are new,unique,innovative.They make me sit  in one place,and go "I love that feeling". I do think there are lot of genres in which intellectualism can be found,but for me sci fic is first and the best . Any way movies based on "Time travelling" were always interesting for me,.

                           These are my fav sci fic movies in no particular order. I m just gonna, post the outline of these movies rather than posting the whole review. Yes, to keep the post as short as possible. :p

Back to the future(1985)  :- In 1985, Doc Brown invents timemachine ; MCfly unknowingly timetravels to 1955, and he  accidentally prevents his parents from meeting, putting his own existence at stake.


Dark city(2000) :- A man struggles with memories of his past, including a wife he cannot remember, in a nightmarish world with no sun and run by beings with telekinetic powers who seek the souls of humans. 


Contact(1997) :-  This is one hell of a  movie.Dr. Ellie Arroway(Jodie foster), after years of searching, finds conclusive radio proof of intelligent aliens, who send plans for a mysterious machine.


 Star Trek(2009) :-The story of a young crew’s maiden voyage onboard the most advanced starship


Twelve monkeys(1995) :-In a future world devastated by disease, a convict is sent back in time to gather information about the man-made virus that wiped out most of the human population on the planet

Truman show(1998) :-An insurance salesman/adjuster discovers his entire life is actually a TV show.This is Jim carrey's movie


Eternal Sunshine of the spotless mind(2001) :-A couple undergo a procedure to erase each other from their memories when their relationship turns sour, but it is only through the process of loss that they discover what they had to begin with.


The Fifth Element (1997):-In the colorful future, a cab driver unwittingly becomes the central figure in the search for a legendary cosmic weapon to keep Evil and Mr Zorg at bay, in the year 2300.Brucewills's movie

The Island(2005) :-A man goes on the run after he discovers that he is actually a "harvestable being", and is being kept as a source of replacement parts, along with others, in a Utopian facility.If you are a scarlett johnson fan, you gonna love this movie.

Armageddon (1998) :-When an asteroid the size of Texas is headed for Earth the world's best deep core drilling team is sent to nuke the rock from the inside.Brucewill again.

Deep impact(1998) :- Unless a comet can be destroyed before colliding with Earth, only those allowed into shelters will survive. Which people will survive?

The day after tomorrow(2004) :- A climatologist tries to figure out a way to save the world from abrupt global warming. He must get to his young son in New York, which is being taken over by a new ice age.  


Independence day(1996) :- The aliens are coming and their goal is to invade and destroy. Fighting superior technology, Man's best weapon is the will to survive.

                        Predator,Equilibrium,starwar series,Jumper,Will smith's movies, Timeline , Frequency,The core,Sunshine,Apollo 13, Terminator, Resident evil series, The man from earth, are my other movies which i find really interesting.