Don't people read anymore?

[Cowboy]

Does anyone here read Leon Uris? I am simply in love with the man. Books like 'The Haj', 'The Exodus', 'The Mitla Pass', 'The Angry Hills' are fab. What about Irving Wallace? Has anyone read 'The Almighty' or 'The R Document'? Amazing books!

Leon Uris is good. Haven't you read "The Trinity"? Irving Wallace is pretty good too. I liked his "Guest of Honour" and "The Seventh Secret". Currently reading "The Plot".

[Cowboy]

Ken Follett & Ludlum are the most boring thriller writers ever. Enough said.

Obviously you haven't yet read "Prometheous Deception", "Chancellor Manuscript" and not to mention The Bourne Trilogy. Agreed that Ken Follet is sometimes boring...but try "On the wings of Eagle"...rocks!!!

[Cowboy]

Most John Grisham's are also very good although they tend to get boring sometimes.

The Fountainhead was another very good book. It was an amazing read. Currently reading Atlas Shrugged

Anyone heard of Ken Follett?

I've missed only The Brethren and The Painted House by Grisham. "The Chamber" was the most boring novel. Street Lawyer was decent but none of them compare to The Firm. His latest book "The Last Juror" was OK.



I tried Atlas Shrugged and Fountainhead some 6 months ago. Well, I tore my Atlas Shrugged and burned Fountainhead. How people like them, I'll never know. Anyone read another crappy book called "Gone with the Wind"? Almost a year ago, I met this incredible chick who was hot, sweet and smart. But one day, she told me that she liked all those Ayn Rand books and her fav. was Gone with the Wind. Never called her again

[Bimbette]

'Gone with the Wind' is crap????? Says who? Read the book a few years ago and thought it was nice too. Dragged on for long though.



Read 3 Sheldons on 3 consecutive days and could predict the storyline of the 4th! The description in 'Tell Me Your Dreams' made me shut the book in the middle (the jail part, if I remember right ).



Have read only 1 Alistaire M. 'Time of the Assasins' and found it rivetting. Political plot. Couldn't read 'River of Death' though coz it wasn't half as interesting.



Archer=Kane and Able. That was one good one! Read the 'Prodigal Daughter' too. Haven't read 'Shall We Tell The President'(which happens to be the 3rd sequel, btw) as yet.



Anyone here read Eric Segul ? Read 'Doctors' and loved the characters of Laura and Barney Livingston. Do they make guys like Barney Livingston ???!!! If yes, where can I find them??!! Love Story was cute too. Oliver's Story was ok.



A colleague was telling me Da Vinci's code is good.



After reading some of the posts here, all I can say is that I have so much to catch up on, on the reading front!

[Lucifer]

Bimbette. I share your views on books like Gone With the Wind and all Ayn Rands. Did not want to say it because, well, some people just never appreciate certain things. Anyways, to each their own.



Erich Segal is a very good writer. Lovestory and its sequel Oliver Story? Riveting reads, indeed. Fab books.

[Lucifer]

On to the other aspect of guys like Barney... Look no further than me!

[Scorpion's Sting]

I tried Atlas Shrugged and Fountainhead some 6 months ago. Well, I tore my Atlas Shrugged and burned Fountainhead

I liked Fountainhead Although I'm not a believer in "objectivism", the books are a good read, according to me at-least.



One line of Fountainhead that I really liked and somehow is still in my head - "I set my own standards. I inherit nothing. I stand at the end of no tradition, I may, perhaps, stand at the beginning of one." - Howard Roark

[Cowboy]

Archer=Kane and Able. That was one good one! Read the 'Prodigal Daughter' too. Haven't read 'Shall We Tell The President'(which happens to be the 3rd sequel, btw) as yet.

Not really. Shall We Tell the President was Archer's 3rd book (after Not a Penny more, Not a penny less and A Matter of Honour). He just re-published it to suit the Kane and Abel stuff. I've read both of them and the original was a bit better 'cos in the original, the president is a Kennedy.

A colleague was telling me Da Vinci's code is good.

Oh yeah...I almost believed the Priory of Sion

And he does provide some convincing arguments about Jesus' life.

[CtrlAltDel]

Irving Wallace is pretty good too. I liked his "Guest of Honour" and "The Seventh Secret". Currently reading "The Plot".

have u read his Second Lady and The Man....?? awesome books!

ve missed only The Brethren and The Painted House by Grisham.

stay away from Painted House....that book singlehandedly put me off Grisham.....yech.....[/i]

[Cowboy]

stay away from Painted House....that book singlehandedly put me off Grisham.....yech.....[/i]

Thanks buddy. Was planning on buying it today

Anyway, you guys know any good second-hand bookshops? I don't want to spend my entire allowance for books and those new books cost a lot

As of now, I regularly visit "Best" bookshop, opposite to lakdikapool bus stand and couple of foot-path stalls in and around koti/abids

[CtrlAltDel]

"Best" bookshop

most of my collection is from there...they have a good collection

foot-path stalls in and around koti/abids

try Abids footpath on sundays...its a treasure trove!



also navigate a page or two back...u can find address of 2 more old book shops...

[Cowboy]

try Abids footpath on sundays...its a treasure trove!

Yep...sure are. I bought a 1920s hard-bound Oxford-printed "Of Human Bondage" on a koti foot-path for a mere 80 bucks. And the shop-keeper was all "come after a few days and if the cover's torn, I'll give it for 50". Also, got a 1940's "Gone with the Wind" with almost a dozen "With love. To XXX from YYY" on the front page

Unfortunately, Of Human Bondage went out for cirulation among my friends and I never got back...lost 45 novels in the past 2 years (

[CtrlAltDel]

i bought Da Vinci Code from Walden today! i was actually prepared to wait a few weeks for it to grace the shelves of Best Book Shop (pirated edition ), but i got scared when i read in today's papers that some Christian fundoos in India wanted the book banned. if banned i might not get it anywhere...

[CtrlAltDel]

...and forgot to mention: i saw the fourth book of late Ludlum's Jason Bourne series, now written by Eric Van Lustbader.......wonder how it is....

Lustbader is a good writer of action thrillers (Miko, Jian etc) so i think the book wont be bad, but i prefer if i hear some feedback abt it b4 i put my money on it.

[asli_badmash]

i bought Da Vinci Code from Walden today! i was actually prepared to wait a few weeks for it to grace the shelves of Best Book Shop (pirated edition ), but i got scared when i read in today's papers that some Christian fundoos in India wanted the book banned. if banned i might not get it anywhere...

Its a good book.. I read it.



I am sure it would inspire you to a Trip to Europe. Also you will view the Last Supper painting by Da Vinci in a totally new light. Its interesting!

[Cowboy]

i bought Da Vinci Code from Walden today! i was actually prepared to wait a few weeks for it to grace the shelves of Best Book Shop (pirated edition ), but i got scared when i read in today's papers that some Christian fundoos in India wanted the book banned. if banned i might not get it anywhere...

Its a good book.. I read it.

I am sure it would inspire you to a Trip to Europe. Also you will view the Last Supper painting by Da Vinci in a totally new light. Its interesting!

Surely. I never observed Last Supper sooo closely. DaVinci Code is one of the few books I finished in one sitting just because I was too excited to do anything else. Right now, I'm alone in my room and reading The Shining. It's 12:00 in the night and looks like I'm gonna piss in my pants

[Scorpion's Sting]

I liked Fountainhead Although I'm not a strong believer in "objectivism", the books are a good read.

Found a small piece of info on the net: Atlas Shrugged is the "second most influential book for Americans today" after the Bible, according to a joint survey conducted by the Library of Congress and the Book of the Month Club



Atlas Shrugged is also a very good book (as far as I've read : Page 323 ).

[asli_badmash]

I am trying to get the book... Indian Muslims: Where have they gone wrong? by Dr Rafiq Zakaria any ideas... read some reviews about it. Seems to be interesting.



Finished reading another one of Dr. Zakaria.s books.. "M.A.Jinnah: The man who divided India". Interesting. A book full of events during division of India as they happened and how Jinnah was responsible for dicision. Also it shows what part Nehru, Patel, Gandhi, Azad and other stalwarts of Indian politics played in it. Eye opener!



My review:



1. Kinds puts the blame squarely on Jinnah. He is responsible in a major way though. In some ways Nehru was responsible too.

2. Book is very critical of Jinnah and Pakistan as a nation and its future.

3. The new release has a chapter on our good friend Prez. Mushy!



I wont reveal the innards... but it expels a lot of Myths and gives the reader a lot of facts to be able to analyse the current situation of politics in India with its history in mind.

[Habitual Perfectionist]

I am trying to get the book... Indian Muslims: Where have they gone wrong? by Dr Rafiq Zakaria any ideas... read some reviews about it. Seems to be interesting.

Finished reading another one of Dr. Zakaria.s books.. "M.A.Jinnah: The man who divided India". Interesting. A book full of events during division of India as they happened and how Jinnah was responsible for dicision. Also it shows what part Nehru, Patel, Gandhi, Azad and other stalwarts of Indian politics played in it. Eye opener!

My review:

1. Kinds puts the blame squarely on Jinnah. He is responsible in a major way though. In some ways Nehru was responsible too.
2. Book is very critical of Jinnah and Pakistan as a nation and its future.
3. The new release has a chapter on our good friend Prez. Mushy!

I wont reveal the innards... but it expels a lot of Myths and gives the reader a lot of facts to be able to analyse the current situation of politics in India with its history in mind.

don't know if you can get your hands on it, but the I-day special issue of Outlook also provides a deep insight into the post-independence events in India....especially in the late 40s & early 50s.



Can lend you my copy if you can't manage one for yourself.

[akhilis2cool]

Finished reading another one of Dr. Zakaria.s books.. "M.A.Jinnah: The man who divided India". Interesting. A book full of events during division of India as they happened and how Jinnah was responsible for dicision. Also it shows what part Nehru, Patel, Gandhi, Azad and other stalwarts of Indian politics played in it. Eye opener!

yeh i read that one too. since then wht. ever little respect i had for our "Chacha Nehru" dissappeared.

But it also made me feel how bad the partition really was for India.

[CtrlAltDel]

Finished reading another one of Dr. Zakaria.s books.. "M.A.Jinnah: The man who divided India". Interesting. A book full of events during division of India as they happened and how Jinnah was responsible for dicision. Also it shows what part Nehru, Patel, Gandhi, Azad and other stalwarts of Indian politics played in it. Eye opener!

yeh i read that one too. since then wht. ever little respect i had for our "Chacha Nehru" dissappeared.
But it also made me feel how bad the partition really was for India.

Gandhi wanted to make Jinnah the first prime minister to avert partition and Jinnah was agreeable to that. but the Congress _ staunchly opposed that and we can see the results today

[akhilis2cool]

Finished reading another one of Dr. Zakaria.s books.. "M.A.Jinnah: The man who divided India". Interesting. A book full of events during division of India as they happened and how Jinnah was responsible for dicision. Also it shows what part Nehru, Patel, Gandhi, Azad and other stalwarts of Indian politics played in it. Eye opener!

yeh i read that one too. since then wht. ever little respect i had for our "Chacha Nehru" dissappeared.
But it also made me feel how bad the partition really was for India.

Gandhi wanted to make Jinnah the first prime minister to avert partition and Jinnah was agreeable to that. but the Congress _ staunchly opposed that and we can see the results today

yeh...nehru signed that agreement to divide india without informing gandhi (who was against it). he was eager to gain power of free india

[Mayavi Morpheus]

Well, Jinnah wanted 36% seats in parliament for Muslims, which is way more than the percentage of muslim population.

Nothing could have saved partition. Pakistan was not conceptualised on 14th august 1947. It was always at the back of the minds of muslim league leaders, a seperate land for muslims... the land of pure. Ofcourse Jinnah never wanted to see a fundamentalist Islamic state that pakistan is today. He only wanted a Muslim majority secular country, yet based on Islamic principles and it was true to its spirit probably till early 1960's - secular, developing (higher growth rate than India), westernized and technologically advanced. Jinnah must be rolling in his grave seeing the state of affairs in todays pakistan aka terroristan.

[akhilis2cool]

In in his initial days he was a staunch supporter of hindu-muslim ekta. later changed his mind as he thot he was not getting enuf respect....



all this seperate state theory was only to settle a personal prejudice against the INC.



Infact he wasnt a true muslim in neway. he never read the Quran, used to drink wine every day.....and yet he was leading a muslim state!

[Cowboy]

Finished reading another one of Dr. Zakaria.s books.. "M.A.Jinnah: The man who divided India". Interesting. A book full of events during division of India as they happened and how Jinnah was responsible for dicision. Also it shows what part Nehru, Patel, Gandhi, Azad and other stalwarts of Indian politics played in it. Eye opener!

yeh i read that one too. since then wht. ever little respect i had for our "Chacha Nehru" dissappeared.
But it also made me feel how bad the partition really was for India.

My little respect was gone when I read about the actual history behind Nehru, Indira, Feroze, Rajiv and Sanjay. You guys should've got that forwarded mail like a thousand times. It was an eye-opener.