The Importance Of Being Earnest

Title: The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People

Author: Oscar Wilde

Algernon Moncleiff goes to welcome his best friend Jack Worthing, alias 'Ernest', who comes all the way from countryside to propose to Gwendolen Fairfax, Algernon's cousin. Algernon gives consent to this proposal of Jack on the condition that he explain the inscription on Jack's cigarette case that says:

"From little Cecily, with her fondest love to her dear Uncle Jack."

Ernest confesses on living a life with two identities- the strict and disciplined guardian of young heiress Cecily Cardew through the name of Jack in the countryside, and as the carefree man Earnest in the city. After this confession, Algernon himself confesses to be living a double life. Gwendolen accepts the proposal of Ernest, and convinces him to rechristen himself as 'Ernest' as the name is a big part of why she loved him. Meanwhile, Gwen's mother Lady Bracknell disapproves of Ernest, and forbids any engagement between Gwen and Ernest.

In the meanwhile, Algernon visits Jack's countryside to meet the young, beautiful heiress Cecily Cardew to whom he had been attracted to when Ernest mentioned. He introduces himself to Cecily as 'Ernest', and Cecily presumes him to be the brother of her guardian 'Jack' Worthing. The two fall in love, and plan to get engaged. Since Cecily loved the name 'Ernest', Algernon decides to scrap off his dual identity and rechristen himself as Ernest. 

During this time, Gwendolen decides to run away from Lady Bracknell and come to the countryside to meet Ernest(Jack). She chances upon Cecily, and they both end up claiming that they love 'Ernest'. What ensues is a drama that sends you in fits of laughter, and entertains to ensure a smile is pinned on your face!

This is the first time I am reading a play of Wilde, though I have read his short stories before. I absolutely loved it! With other stories like The Canterville Ghost, one is already familiar the unbeatable humour of Wilde. But, this play is a gem! The fluidity and the spontaneity of the characters that has been captured in the script was mind-blowing. This is a short play, and you can read it in a couple of hours. The interplay of the characters, situations, and their hilarious impersonations left me literally laughing out loud, and enjoying every line of this play! 

This is a must- definitely must- read!

Milk Teeth

Title: Milk Teeth

Author: Amrita Mahale

Irawati Kamat, and Kartik Kini are childhood best friends who meet again, after a gap of many years when they had stopped talking as Kartik went abroad to study, in the terrace of Asha Nivas to discuss an issue that is of the deepest concern to its inhabitants: the fate of this establishment and the possibility of a deal for a new flat from the owner and the builder. Ira is a journalist on the civic beat, and her job profile entails that she unearths moving stories of deep corruption, and whips up headlines that would bring out the satisfaction in people for re-affirming their own views on the corrupt nature of the BMC, conveniently shoving away the knowledge that corruption happens only when corruption is allowed by people in general. Kartik works in a corporate job with a big MNC, and is the pictured the perfect boy leading the perfect life his parents could ever hope for. What happens when the Kamats and the Kinis decide that the closeness and friendship of their children that existed several years ago could be extended as a marriage proposal in the present, when the two of them also have lives, past, and limitless dreams of their own, is what makes up the crux of this book.

The best part of this story is the description of Mumbai, and the very familiar set-up that we have even today all over India. The story opens in the locality of 1997 Matunga, when Ira is 28, but goes back to her childhood environment, and the  descriptions of erstwhile Bombay. The whole charm of the book was in how relatable many things were in relation to set-up or environment that we grow up in, without the author going overboard and making it sound artificial. 

Mahale paints a lucid, luminous picture of the 90s Bombay that genuinely brings the setting in front of your eyes. By the end of the first part of the book, I had the whole picture of Asha Nivas, and the street covered in old, green trees branching out benevolent shade, the temple bells ringing in regular intervals, and the walk down the street to the fast food serving dosas of all possible varieties. The beauty of Matunga and its residents have been captured with such beautiful and graceful narration. I loved it.

As for the main storyline: I am not at all a fan of romance. The story takes its time to introduce all the characters living in Asha Nivas, and also the two main characters in great detail. So, for the whole of the first part of the book- it didn't really reveal where the story was going. And, then the second and third parts reveal a lot of the romantic story it deals with in a steady pace. Since, I am not a great fan of this genre in general, I don't think I enjoyed the core story very much. It was good writing, but the genre just fails to interest me completely when it comes to novels. 

The book is much more than just about a love story. It has vivid and enthralling narrative on the post-liberalization era of Mumbai- and it wraps you in what seems like a visual treat when you read the descriptions of the author! But, it did not do anything to change my view on this genre. In fact, it reaffirmed my reasons for why I have consistently never read much from this genre.

Overall, the book is a good read. But, a fair warning to those who do not enjoy this genre: it is likely that you may not enjoy every part of the novel.

Welcoming the #WodehouseSeries

 

I am sure most of you know Wodehouse, even if you haven't read Wodehouse. But, for those who don't know: Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse was an English author, humorist, the fondest satirist of the foppish upper class in the English society, and one of the greatest comic writers ever. With over seventy books and plays to his name, Wodehouse is one of the most cherished and buoyant contributors in the expanse of humorist literature. 

Have I read all his works? Nope, and I really hope I do. But, when I sat to count how many Wodehouse books I have actually read, the number did make me smile. I had read all 6 books from his school series, 6 from Blandings Castle, 9 of Jeeves, Meet Mr. Mulliner, and Ukridge- making it a good 23 books across all of his popular series! And, out of 23, hardly 8 of them had a review on my blog. So, I decided to do a series of 6 posts, or what we could call #WodehouseSeries, featuring twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays. 

Today's illustration by me is a mix of inspiration from two things- the cover illustration styles of the Penguin editions of the Wodehouse novels by David Hitch, and an original photo of my dad and my grandfather's uncle discussing Wodehouse. The grand old man, my grandfather's uncle, was a big admirer and great fan of Wodehouse. He even had a beautiful collection that had some first edition novels. He never failed to entertain us with a narration of scenes and snippets from across Wodehouse stories! So, when I wanted to create a cover illustration for this series of posts, the first thing I could think of was to make an illustration in the style of Wodehouse book covers for that photograph. 

Each post in the series will carry an illustration by me, as we discuss and dive into the fair share of Wodehouse that I have read. So, if you are a Wodehouse fan- I am sure you will enjoy the ride. And, if you have never read Wodehouse, you'll probably pick one up by the end of this series! These 6 posts will delve into Wodehouse's books and characters in his series with Jeeves, school stories, Blandings Castle, Psmith, Mr. Mulliner, and Ukridge- in that order.

I am very, very excited about this, and I hope we can enjoy Wodehouse together in the next couple of weeks! Stay tuned!

Failing To Succeed

Title: Failing To Succeed: The Story of India's First E-Commerce Company

Author: K. Vaitheeswaran

We all read success stories all the time, but rarely does anyone write the story of a failure. Yet, it is probably in the stories of failure that we can discover what can go wrong, what we should have done or not done, and what are the inherent risks in doing any activity. Business is definitely top on the list. Vaitheeswaran shares a detailed story of his company failing to succeed, which is also the story of India's first e-commerce company.  

What started as a fascination for the “brilliant business called e-commerce”, soon led to six entrepreneurs- Vaitheeswaran and his five friends- founding the first e-commerce company of India 'Fabmart' in 1999. As the American company Amazon.com was becoming increasingly popular outside India, India was still very new to the whole world of e-commerce. We were still in a stage when people were getting used to the idea of internet. Fabmart's founders, after a lot of deliberation, decided to stand out from other e-commerce industries of that time, and launched Fabmart with music instead of selling books which companies like Amazon and Rediff were doing. 

"In those days, 80 per cent of music sales in India were in cassettes, and only 20 per cent were in CDs. It is a reflection of the enormous changes over the past fifteen years that while India’s first e-commerce site launched with music cassettes, in less than twenty years, music has jumped through cassettes, CDs, iPods and now almost all music is free or streamed."

A big dream needed sound funding, and that was when Reliance opened up to invest in start-ups, and Fabmart was one of them. 

“We signed a simple agreement with Reliance Industries and got going with our dreams.”

When all seemed to go well, and the big dreams were getting bigger- everything went topsy-turvy for Fabmart. Fights in the company board that seemed to be too tough to put to rest, and a steady loss and eventual dry up of all funding for the company including the funding by Reliance, pushed India's first e-commerce company to the brink of collapse. Fabmart became Fabmall, and eventually became Indiaplaza- falling lower by every passing year. 

As the detailed analysis of all the wrong turns and wrong events are discussed by the author, the book feels like a lesson on the bitter struggles for funding, ever-changing scenarios that surround start-up culture, setting and developing the right metrics, and the importance of the rapport between the founders to ensure they are all equally invested in the company.

"It is very important that co-founders have sufficient stake in the business to keep them motivated, cover for the high risks through significant future upside and to also ensure they have control in running the business."

Vaitheeswaran mainly discusses the two confusing and difficult problems for entrepreneurs: profitability versus profits, and growth versus profits. He says that most companies usually push the idea of profits to the unpredictable future, though they all seem 'operationally profitable' and are slated to 'break even' in the next couple of years. Here's an excerpt that sums up the author's view on this conundrum.

"In several of these start-ups, the founders have sold part of their shares at high valuations and personally profited. This can unfortunately create a situation where a founder is no longer motivated to ensure that the company also profits as soon as possible and thereafter only the investors are concerned about where their investments are going. In extreme cases, the investors are forced to step in and directly take charge of the company affairs as has already happened in some Indian start-ups."

He quotes a popular tamil song "varavu yettana selavu pathana"  to explain profitability vs. profits: where profitability is an idea and profit is a solid metric. He emphasizes throughout on this clarity as an essential for success. 

Vaitheeswaran was the pioneer of e-commerce in India. Even more than 10-15 years ago, Fabmart implemented the things we know as normal today- including PIN-based payment gateway, e-wallets, electronic gift certificates, loyalty programmes, cross border gifting, cash on delivery systems, customized merchandise, and a unique business model that combined both offline and online stores.

Many such lessons are discussed in detail, and the book is a rare story of what can lead to failure. There is a treasure hoard of discussions and lessons that we can take away! This is a great read.

The Hidden Silly Side Of Higher Education

Title: Academia Obscura: The Hidden Silly Side Of Higher Education

Author: Glen Wright

I bought and read this book in 2018 as soon as it was published, but I never put up a post on it, thanks to my inactive stint during that time. 2018 was a year that saw just one post from me- on a library very dear to me that closed. So, I decided that not having read it now is no reason to introduce this crazy book to those who don't know about it. 

@AcademiaObscura is a popular twitter handle, but this book- Academia Obscura- is probably everything you want to drop your project hours to read instead. And, that's kind of how it was written too. When you pick to see who really the author is, you get the answer immediately.

"Glen Wright is an academic. Sort of. Actually, he started his PhD in 2012 and is yet to finish. In the meantime, he started Academia Obscura, a blog about the lighter side of academic life."

This man wrote a crazily relatable and funny book on academics, and you won't be able to thank him enough for it! Academia Obscura is an encyclopedic compilation on everything that you can ever find silly in academics- and there are tons and tons of it! Footnotes, peer-reviews, language of the writing, cliched phrases that we use to bridge the lack of content- it's all in there! Filled with extremely cute and heartwarming drawings, from Wright, who in his own words says:

"Occasionally there are figures that appear to have been drawn by people like me, whose artistic inclinations never surpassed shaky stickmen and who struggle to write their own name on the whiteboard."

If you think academics is all "stuffiness"and "elbow patches", then this is the right book to pick up to change your mind. It explores the love of an academic on his subject, and at the same time takes a dig on how the strict structural formalities can bend the patience and the capabilities of the best of academicians.

Everything in the book is simply put, but would tickle your bones with humour. Most of what you would read is something that you would be going through or would have gone through, or at least would know someone who has gone through a similar patch. That way, this book is incredibly relatable and real.

I love it. And, I can guarantee a hundred percent that you will, too!

The World As I See It

Title: The World As I See It

Author: Albert Einstein

Translated from German to English by: A. Harris

To most of us, we were taught who Einstein was since the time we were taught what science is. But, did we ever really know who Einstein is? We knew Einstein, the universally famous scientist, who was one of the most brilliant of men to have walked this Earth and who talked of things that were way beyond the comprehension of common men. Mark Twain once commented how as a reader and writer, he still could not completely comprehend a single line of Einstein's theories. 

But is that all who Einstein really was? Obviously not. And, his own book The World As I See It gives you a glimpse of another, less-spoken side of this man. We meet Einstein, the human and the thinker, through the miscellaneous collections of Einstein's thoughts on a wide array of things from education, war and peace to religion and life. He portrays what he believes as reason itself manifesting in nature, and emphasizes on the importance of experiencing it. And, he calls such an experience of humans as that which:

"... stands at the cradle of true art and true science."

The chapters and the thoughts are what you might call as haphazard, and yet by the time you wrap up this book you get a clear, appealing picture on this brilliant man's view on the world and it's philosophies. It is a small, quick read that should take more than a couple of hours. I obviously read the translated version by A. Harris, since I don't know German. The translation is top notch, and the book will have you so engrossed in the content that you won't even notice it's translated! 

"A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving." 

We take home many lessons- some that we already know in the corner of our mind, and some new. It is just as inspiring and admirable to see Einstein, the thinker, share his perspective. We all admire him, although I wonder if any of us really understand any of his works. So, why not grab this opportunity to understand at least the one book that he did write that works within our ranges of understanding! It's a great read!

Delete This At Your Peril

Title: Delete This At Your Peril: The Bob Servant Emails

Author: Neil Forsyth

What do you do when your inbox is spammed with tens and hundreds of email every single day promising you gold, a million dollars, a grand house, a high paying job, or even your true love if you just bother to type in your phone number, address, bank details, and their passwords? I guess: block, mark as spam, try a better filter, and wrack your brains in frustration to separate these weeds. Well, Bob Servant, a 2-year-old window cleaner, and Dundee's former cheeseburger kingpin, decides that enough is enough, and that it is time for the sweetest revenge!

Delete At Your Peril is a funny, absolutely original, brilliant book by Neil Forsyth that captures an exchange of emails between the character of Bob Servant and his spammers, where the elderly man gives the spammers a taste of their own medicine- taking them on a promising ride and demanding hilarious deals in return ranging from legal asylum to emotional support, golden lions that speak and leopards that sing and wear clothes. It's hilarious to see our Bob come up with a new trick every time only to gleefully witness his spammers trying to fulfill all his wishes to get that one email from him with the bank details, or a cheque on their names!

Forsyth nails the tone and the flow of the emails. There is bound to be a grin plastered on your face when you read this book- right from the very first email! The spams are so relatable, and it wouldn't be surprising if we have seen many close to them. I love it when the hopeful exchange of the spammers meet Bob's final one:

From: Bob Servant
To: Jack Thompson
Jack,
I have some bad news, my friend. I have just been to the bank and the guy there said that I cannot send you any money as I do not have any in my account. In actual fact, it turns out that I owe them over eight grand. I'm really sorry, Jack, I hope I haven't wasted your time, but I'm afraid that the deal is off. Good luck my friend, and good luck with the animals.
Love,
Bob

The exchanges and Bob's way of taking the spammers on a hopeful trip of emails that promise payment are truly funny, and the revenge is so absolutely sweet. It is a very innovative book, and the approach to the narrative through emails, and the theme are so refreshingly fresh and original! Bob Servant takes the spammers head-on for all of us, and he will remain an unforgettable treasure when you finish reading!

I loved it, and so will you!

"Fifteen Men On The Dead Man's Chest"

Jim Hawkins is in the company of lunatic seamen, hungry for treasure, and Flint screams at them with a "Fetch me rum; Darby!", and the other sing their screams of:

Fifteen men on a dead man's chest

Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum

Drink and the devil had done for the rest

Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum.

And, the ten year old me couldn't wait to scream along with the chorus of 'Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum'. Every time I picked the book, I was transported into the world of Hawkins, Flint, Trelawney, Billy Bones, Black Dog, Long John Silver and Ben Gunn. Till date, I remember the exact words with which Flint was tricked to death- an ingenious Ben Gunn mimicking Flint's “Darby M’Graw! Darby M’Graw! Fetch me rum; Darby!” 

After a long time, a conversation with a friend today reminded us of all the 'non-detailed prescribed readings' we had in school as part of the curriculum. We've had Treasure Island, Merchant of Venice and other plays of Shakespeare, books of Ruskin Bond, short stories of O. Henry and Oscar Wilde, The Story of My Life by Helen Keller, Silas Marner by Eliot- and I think Treasure Island was our favourite amongst these. 

The original title of the book was actually "The Sea Cook" - for Long John Silver, placing him as the main villain and central character of the book. But, later the name was changed to Treasure Island. It has to be said that out of all the villains I have met in the wide range of fiction that I have consumed, Long John Silver is definitely the most charming, witty villain ever. 

Who doesn't love a cool pirate story filled with adventure, fights, treasure, an island that looks like a "fat dragon standing up", the sea, some rum, a lot of apple barrels, and an escape plan! Stevenson takes you through a ride that is an unforgettable experience, and would still keep you excited about it, a decade after reading it! Hispaniola and its crew will leave you with a treasure hoard of memories. 

If you haven' t read it, please do! You are guaranteed an adventure you'll love every second. 

My First 300 Book Reviews: Links for 176-200

176. The Bookshop

177. The Devil's Advocate

178. Atomic Habits

179. Born to Run

180. Sophie's World

181. Catch 22

182. The Godfather

183. Don Quixote

184. The Day of the Jackal

185. The Count of Monte Cristo

186. Tom Brown's Schooldays

187. Hard Times

188. The Power Of Starting Something Stupid

189. Me Talk Pretty One Day

190. Tuesdays with Morrie

191. Of Mice and Men

192. Veerappan: Chasing The Brigand

193. Next

194. Daddy-Long-Legs

195. The Chemistry Book

196. Black Beauty 

197. The Call of the Wild

198. Lord of the Flies

199. Brave New World

200. The India They Saw

The India They Saw

Title: The India They Saw

Author: Sandhya Jain and Meenakshy Jain

The India They Saw is a series of 4 volumes of books by Meenakshy Jain and Sandhya Jain. Volume I talks of the ancient India as seen through the eyes of travellers and foreign visitors to the land, describing everything from the landscape to the kingdoms to the richness in education and culture, including the social practices of the time- all set within the time period between 5th Century BC to the 7th Century AD. Volume II covers the events between 8th-15th centuries, still covering the ancient Indian descriptions and accounts of the Greeks, Romans, Arabs, and the Chinese. Volume III starts with the coming of Vasco da Gama, and covers the European accounts of India in the 16th and 17th centuries. The final and fourth volume covers the accounts of English travellers and missionaries in the 18th and 19th centuries. 

I just started this book today, and it is very interesting. The compilations made are very beautiful, truly bringing to you in a chronological order the India they saw. While reading, one can spot the similar accounts, owing to different travellers and writers observing the same kind of practices in the same time period across many parts of the country! The travellers are also unanimous in one more thing- their sheer awe on the high cultural and spiritual progress that they saw in India, unlike any other place. 

The India They Saw presents the historical Indian view from a beautiful angle, and it is so well arranged through the four volumes, covering in total from the 5th century BC to the 18th century. Some of these travellers and their accounts take you back to what you read in your Social Sciences during middle school- a fun way to learn history.

I feel this is another book which can be read in small doses and interesting snippets, from which you can learn a lot over a period of time! Do check it out!

Brave New World

Title: Brave New World

Author: Aldous Huxley

In the year AF(After Ford) 632, which would be an equivalent of the year 2540 in our calendar), men and women are no more born with natural abilities. Instead, in the dystopian World State city of London, kids are genetically engineered in artificial wombs where their abilities are handpicked according to the need to the world. The childhood is one closely monitored and led on the lines of requirement of the different classes they were engineered to belong to- the intelligence class and the labour class, with a clear establishment of hierarchy between the two. 

The society no longer has happy citizens, rather undergoes a mandatory feeding of the soma drug by the State to keep it's citizens peaceful. While the State tries to establish this Utopian system, Bernard Marx, a psychologist and sleep-learning specialist, raises his criticisms in his own arrogant, fearless way about the State's wrong methods of ensuring peace and calm. The story is of this one man, an individual, who questions and challenges the wrongness of the need-based, engineered production of humans thrown into a hierarchy based on intelligence, and the advancement in psychology and sleep-learning put to the negative use of manipulating citizens, and many more in that world that seems a nightmare to him. 

Is it utopian? Is is dystopian? I think it is the dystopian version of utopia, where men start claiming their 'right to be unhappy'. At the end of the day, where there isn't natural choice or selection, there is a dystopian angle to it- be it happiness or sadness. Huxley gives a mind-blowing science fiction- and the scariest part is it is not really much of a science-fiction anymore. True, it is still an exaggeration from some of the events that happen now, but probably our AF 632 isn't really far off. Take anything, from mood stabilizing pills to genetic modifications and designer babies, Huxley was bang on about literally every development that we have to. And, to have such a foresight, by whatever means, is just plain crazy. 

 It's a book that feels half-true, and the other half seems like a prediction. It's unputdownable, building the  ultimate dystopia in utopia. It's impossible not to marvel when you read this book. It is not entirely dark, it presents a perfect picture above that is yet to be tainted. Yet, it is all about knowing all the while that you read it- that it is tainted. 

It is a masterpiece! I absolutely loved it. It is a must-read!

Lord of the Flies

Title: Lord of the Flies

Author: William Golding

A group of young, adolescent British boys get abandoned on an island to fend for themselves when their plane crashes during an evacuation during the World War. They try to imitate the civilization they come from- initially setting up a democratic system and electing a leader amongst them, and also sharing and allotting specific duties to be performed like sourcing food and setting up smoke signals that can be a sign of call for help to passing ships. But, as looming paranoia about an imagined beast sets in and as rivalry develops, all structures and civilizations break loose.  

Lord of the Flies attempts to paint a theme of the nature of survival, coupling it with the tone of adventure. It also shows how every system and it's activities start with a good deal of positive objectives which eventually get lost in the fight for power and position. The human ego, and the imagined fears in the mind act as a catalyst to unwanted, negative and unnecessary thoughts that ends up breaking even the semblance of a civilized structure that we aim to have. 

In an environment where courtesy loses its meaning, and where the top most of priorities is survival itself, the human brain behaves very differently, even among the innocents. At the end, to understand what the book tries to say in one line, from the book itself:

"We did everything adults would do. What went wrong?”

And, that also explains what did go wrong. Be it good or bad, children learn from what they see in practice, not just by what they listen to. After all, actions speak louder than words. When the whole world is burning waging a war against each other, where tens of thousands civilians and innocents were affected- the boys learn the same thing, too. Their rivalry sends them to the solution that the world showed them: war.

The book is a quick read, and it has very simple language. And, it also doubles as an adventure. Golding is a nobel-prize winning author for his parables on human condition, and one such parable is this classic. The themes of the book are very relevant, especially in today's world! I enjoyed it.

A Week of Classics Reading: Featuring Some Of The Best Women I've Seen

Let's admit it: books with some kick-ass women leads are always a dash more entertaining and inspiring to read. The zeal it gives me, as a girl myself, is something that I cannot explain in words! When I wrote a post of my nine most favourite characters of all-time, six of them happen to be women and that’s probably because I am a female, and naturally some of the strongest, inspiring female characters have left a strong impression on my mind!

So, here are seven classics, one for every day this week, that you can pick and read, and whose women sure won't disappoint you! These can be read under a day. 

1. Daisy Miller

2. North and South

3. Anne of Green Gables

4. Sivakamiyin Sabadham

5. The Grapes of Wrath

6. Heidi

7. Alice Adventures In Wonderland

In each of these books, what you'll find is women on the lead: an example of today's modern day woman, who is solid in her opinions and intuitions, and puts a strong foot forward to lead others. The books also, I believe, teach you the right lessons. 

If you are looking for books for young girls, then check out my post on literature for young girls!

Do read and let me know what you liked in the comments! Happy reading!

The Call of the Wild

Title: The Call of the Wild

Author: Jack London

Buck, a 140-pound St. Bernard–Scotch Collie, is snatched his pampered life with the family of Judge Miller when he is stolen and sold off by one of the servants of the Millers in need of money. From then on, Buck's life takes a drastic change as he survives harsh treatment, and learns the "law of club and fang". When Buck is later sold to two French-Canadians en route to an expedition in the Klondike regions of Canada, Buck is tirelessly trained to be a sled dog, and is also introduced to ten other dogs on the same mission. A play of situations causes Buck to kill Spitz, the pack leader, and Buck becomes the new leader of the sled pack. The journey of Buck as he finds his loving master and companion with a man named Thorton, his loyal allegiance to this human that he connects with, and his adventures in the wilderness as he grows more wild, to finally find 'the call of the wild' is what the rest of the story is about. 

The story is about Buck, but the background of the story is based on the Klondike Gold Rush, a period in history between 1896 and 1899 when it was discovered that there are gold mines in Koldike Alaskan region. This led to a whole craze of expeditions that took place where people wanted to literally hit the jackpot. Many stolen dogs were used for those expeditions as sled dogs. The story beautifully portrays the relationship and the trust between the dog and the human, and the immense loyalty that is involved in such relations.  

The story is rugged, and it is an incredible feeling as you see Buck transform from the pampered, city life to the final stages where he feels the call of the wild. The narrative is a page-turner, and you feel as loyal to Buck's life as Buck feels towards Thorton. The whole journey is one of learning for both Buck and the reader.

It is a masterpiece, with such an engrossing narrative. I picked this book up when I was very young, and at that time I read a couple of pages and decided I didn't like it. I never finished the book. After a couple of years, we had a lesson in school that was an excerpt from this book. And, I loved it. I loved it so much that I couldn't believe that I hadn't liked it earlier. I wanted to read the full novel. I always wanted to, but it became one of those books that I never got around to read fully. And day-before-yesterday, I saw the book again. I didn't think twice before I started reading it, and I loved it as much as I loved the excerpt. 

It is a must read!

Black Beauty

Title: Black Beauty: His Grooms and Companions, the Autobiography of a Horse

Author: Anna Sewell

An old, retired Black Beauty, a gentle, high-bred horse, narrates his story to the readers, and takes them through the ups and downs of his life from the days he pulled carriage for the elite society, through the days he was made to do hard labour just because a scratch on his knees made him unsuitable to be presented as a carriage horse for the elite anymore, to when he lived a life of peaceful retirement in the countryside. The story journeys through with interesting characters that Black Beauty meets at various points in life, highlighting both kindness and cruelty but making sure to leave the readers with a moral to take home from every chapter of his story. 

Narrated in first person by Black Beauty, Anna Sewell gives the readers a simple account of a horse's life filled with much-needed learning and understanding on kindness to animals, and how to treat everyone and everything with sympathy and respect, in general. The book captures both the sights and plights of erstwhile London, with interesting flashes in the lives and experiences of the London labour class, especially about the carriage-men, giving a glimpse of their hardships.

It is a very simple book, and it was written by Sewell on her last days. The book is known to have created institutions of change in the way people treated animals, by touching their hearts through the simple story of Black Beauty. The book has a strong moral attachment that it brings to the readers when it comes to dealing with animals, and that was the original purpose that Sewell wrote this book for. 

A quick read- this enchanting, sweet tale of a horse is a must read for all!

The Chemistry Book

Title: The Chemistry Book: From Gunpowder to Graphene, 250 Milestones in the History of Chemistry

Author: Derek B. Lowe

Elements and their interactions with each other make up every single thing in this Universe, including us. Their properties, abilities, and the various conditions for their states of stable nature are fundamental to our existence, and the existence of the entire Universe. Every material is made up of some chemical element. The world functions as an integral of all sciences, the most fundamental of which can be called Chemistry. Chemistry is what is called the 'central science', and for good reason!

"Chemistry really does occupy the middle ground between physics and biology, claiming territory from each of those sciences as well as its own."

From a period ranging from c. 500,000 BCE with the discovery and understanding of the phenomenon that creates Crystals, to a projection into the future expected results in 2030 when the world is on a steady way to understand Artificial Photosynthesis, Derek Lowe has you covered in an exciting and simple chronological narration of milestone discoveries in the history of chemistry. 

Lowe says, "The study of chemistry is older than human writing." Humans have been playing with fire, understanding how a spark can be created, making weaponry from metals- and all of these are essentially "chemical explorations", as the author shows you in this book! Every chapter of this book is small, concise, and very interesting. It shows you how a compound, or an element, or any chemical substance or process came to be- including when it was discovered, who all worked on it, what it is used for, and any interesting story associated with it. Every chapter runs for around 2-3 pages, making it an easy and insightful read that any beginner in Chemistry needs. 

This book is for all of us. We all breathe oxygen, exhale carbon dioxide, use vessels made of aluminium, use aspirin for headaches, wear nylon clothes, decorate our homes with pretty porcelain flower vases, and the list can go on and on- but how much do we know about any of these chemical substances? That is essentially what this book helps in- you get to know how a chemical substance came about, and why we use it the way we do. 

Derek Lowe is a professional chemist himself, and has an expert blog In The Pipeline. Chemists like him are part of the processes for the next important discoveries that the world is to see in the upcoming decades. 

"The story continues. I myself am a professional chemist and wrote this book on nights and weekends. During the day, I’m in the lab, as are thousands of chemists around the world, helping to write the next chapters. Readers are welcome to visit my website, In the Pipeline, where I talk about the kind of work I do and give updates on the field’s cutting-edge advances."

It's the kind of book where you can read one or two chapters a day, and that is what I have been doing! The information that you learn, bit by bit, about the things around you makes you understand this world much better, and gives you a good perspective behind why things behave the way they do. Do check it out, it's an interesting read! 

Snippets From Pygmalion

Pygmalion is an all-time favorite book, and so is its author. I love Shaw's humour, and I happened to have some snippets and quotes from the book that I had written down when I read it.

Eliza, a cockney flower girl, goes to Prof. Higgins to learn phonetics. I became a fan of Shaw, his plays, and I absolutely love this one.I felt happy rediscovering that document, and hence I present to you my collection!

“The difference between a lady and a flower girl is not how she behaves, but how she’s treated.”

“The great secret, Eliza, is not having bad manners or good manners or any other particular sort of manners, but having the same manner for all human souls: in short, behaving as if you were in Heaven, where there are no thirdclass carriages, and one soul is as good as another.”

"Simply phonetics. The science of speech. That's my profession; also my hobby. Happy is the man who can make a living by his hobby! You can spot an Irishman or a Yorkshireman by his brogue. I can place any man within six miles. I can place him within two miles in London. Sometimes within two streets."

"What is life but a series of inspired follies? The difficulty is to find them to do. Never lose a chance: it doesn't come every day. I shall make a duchess of this draggletailed guttersnipe."

Here's a excerpt of a conversation that I had put up in my review:

WHISKERS : Maestro, Maestro (he embraces Higgins and kisses him on both cheeks). You remember me?
HIGGINS: No I don’t. Who the devil are you?
WHISKERS: I am your pupil: your first pupil, your best and greatest pupil. I am little Nepommuck, the marvellous boy. I have made your name famous throughout Europe. You teach me phonetic. You cannot forget ME.
HIGGINS: Why don’t you shave?
NEPOMMUCK: I have not your imposing appearance, your chin, your brow. Nobody notices me when I shave. Now I am famous: they call me Hairy Faced Dick.
HIGGINS: And what are you doing here among all the swells?
NEOPOMMUCK: I am interpreter. I speak 32 languages. I am indispensable at these international parties. You are great cockney specialist: you place a man anywhere in London the moment he opens his mouth. I place any man in Europe.
(a footman hurries down the grand staircase and comes to Nepommuck).
FOOTMAN: You are wanted upstairs. Her excellency cannot understand the Greek gentleman.
NEPOMMUCK: Thank you, yes, immediately.
(the footman goes and is lost in the crowd)
NEPOMMUCK: (to Higgins) This Greek diplomatist pretends he cannot speak nor understand English. He cannot deceive me. He is the son of a Clerkenwell watchmaker. He speaks English so villainously that he dare not utter a word of it without betraying his origin. I help him to pretend; but I make him pay through the nose. I make them all pay. Ha Ha! (he hurries upstairs).

Pygmalion is a book that talks about a wide range of things from language and art of phonetics to behaviour and how women ought to be treated, all in the style of classic Shaw humour. It is a brilliant play that is a must-read! 

Daddy-Long-Legs

Title: Daddy-Long-Legs

Author: Jean Webster

Jerusha, an orphaned girl whose first name was picked from a grave and surname from a phone book by the orphanage matron she grew up with, gets an unexpected and intersting benefactor who offers to pay her through college and give her a generous pocket money, on one condition. The benefactor wants her to write him letters, one every month, to which he will never reply. Jerusha, who liked to be addressed as Judy, is not informed of his true identity, and instead she is instructed to address him as Mr. John Smith. But as Judy catches a silhouette of her benefactor, she just notices he is a very tall man, and names him Daddy-long-legs fondly. 

Judy writes her letters faithfully, describing and illustrating her letters in a wonderfully child-like zeal, and talking about her life in college- educational, social, and personal growths in great respect and detail. She grows fond of writing her letters, and the revelation of the identity of her benefactor is the sweet surprise for all of us that the book has in the end. 

I loved this book. It is one of the most pleasant and absolutely lovable books that I have read. We grow with Judy's experiences and our expectations rise as we read her articulate letters with illustrations. I really like epistolary narratives as they feel intimate and genuine, as they are written in a tone of confidence and faith. And, Daddy-Long-Legs is a simple, intimate tale through Judy's letters to her benefactor.

Jean Webster herself has made the illustrations for this book, and it is a lovely addition to the letters. They add a whole new dimension and play a significant role in how we perceive Judy as readers. This is a timeless, evergreen classic, and a very heartwarming one.

I loved it, and so will you!

Next

Title: Next

Author: Michael Crichton

Frank Burnet survives an aggressive form of leukemia after four years of what was called an 'intensive treatment'. However, he learns that the 'treatments' were actually a pretext for extensively studying his miraculous genes which formed the genetic basis for his unbelievably quick recovery from the disease. As he learns that the rights over his cells have been sold to BioGen, a biotechnology startup, there follows a string of suits to claim the rights. Meanwhile, Jack Watson, a relentless venture capitalist, schemes to steal BioGen's cultures of Frank's cells. Situations get out of hand, and Frank and his family is forced on a cross-country spree as they are hunted by different parties for their miraculous genes. 

This makes the crux of the story, although there are many other sidelined plots that run parallel to it. The build up of the plot line and the narrative is very engaging, and is guaranteed to keep you hooked to the story. 

Crichton spirals you into a mind-blowing world of genetic makeup, it's potential, it's applications, and it's undeniable detriments- both legal and ethical. As he weaves a thrilling story, Crichton brings the perfect blend of the legal, medical, analytical aspects of the world of genes through a mix of fact and fiction. Next is a closely woven story with many parallel chunks of plots and sub-plots, and some of the subplots fail to tie up neatly in the end. However, the book feels like a whole load of interesting bio-genetic information on current research presented in the entertaining form of fiction. 

Genetic manipulations can change the way the world runs, and that era has already begun. I had Biotechnology and Genetics as brief subjects during my first and second year in the University. Thanks to my extremely enthusiastic professor for these subjects, there was a lot of discussion and interest in the medical, ethical and legal aspects of genetic study and genetic advancement, and I used to thoroughly enjoy those classes. I could relate to a lot of the discussions we had in our class while reading this book. 

I think there is probably no better way to introduce a concept, especially to someone who isn't familiar with it, than through fiction. I think Next uses the wide array of research that is ongoing in today's Genetics to fictitiously show the future. And, at the breakneck speed at which the world sees advancement today, that future is probably not far off!

It's a very interesting read, though the sub-plots are way too many and sometimes the book takes you around for a spin. It's fast paced, and I enjoyed it!

Fun Books Related To Law (Both Fiction and Non-Fiction)

I read books of a wide variety, and I often like to read books especially on things I don't know much about, or something that I am not connected to directly. I enjoy books on horse racing, or running, or Science, with the same zeal I feel for legal thrillers. I strongly believe that reading widely does wonders to overall perspective. That said, it is true that we always enjoy a book in our niche, be it fiction or non-fiction, as we can enjoy the book in it's entirety with all the inside jokes. Basically, these are ones that strike a familiar chord in us. There are so many wonderful books in this category. But, here are some of my favourites, books that I really enjoyed reading, that incorporate law/legal aspects to it (the list has both fiction and non-fiction).

1. Any Perry Mason novel

You got to love Perry and his unbelievably entertaining courtroom drama, where he uses his well-known, skillful courtroom gimmicks to wrap up a case successfully. The characters are charming, and the stories are small in length. Though the plots are usually made of a very simple legal concept, Gardner's narrative is so compelling that it is unputdownable. You will grow to love the characters and the narrative style. If you are someone who already loves Perry Mason, look for that one book you haven't laid your hands on yet! Get reading!

2. 10 Judgements That Changed India

I was presented this book by a relative when I was going to join law school. I read the book before I joined, and it made absolute sense to me as a person who did not really know anything about the Indian law at that time, and I was fascinated. After two semesters of studying Constitutional Law, I picked up this book again and read through the cases, which by now I had a strong familiarity to, and I truly appreciated the beauty of the book for the purpose it serves. I understood what Zia Mody, in the book, meant by saying that the idea of writing a book of this nature was "to seek to bridge the gap between life and law". 

3. To Kill A Mockingbird

The book is all about respecting people because they are people and not on the basis of colour. It talks about overcoming the stereotypes and fighting the right battle. I think it is an important perspective that anyone needs to have, especially lawyers. We, as a legal community, need to fight the right battles, and also fight battles the  right way. This is one of my all-time favourite novels. I absolutely love it.  

4. On Balance: An Autobiography

Leila Seth, in her autobiography On Balance: An Autobiography, starts with the story of how she took up legal studies because of the fact that it could be conveniently combined with taking care of her son and husband. Throughout, as she describes the events that transpire through her relationship with the law and the legal community, the spirit of the book focuses on taking India forward in its judicial journey. It is a beautiful read!

5. One L

Note to law students: Pick up this amazing book of experience by a "1L" in the first year of HLS (Harvard Law School), and every line would be something that you would relate to at a very personal level. There wasn't a single dull moment as I went on a surprisingly funny and relatable ride of reliving through the anguish, nervousness, excitement and the free-falling fear of a first year at law school. It is a wonderful, honest book, and Turow has absolutely and aptly captured the experiences of every law student.

6. The Devil's Advocate

It is a great book, and the best part is the format in which it takes you through the outlines of advocacy. The book recommends itself to any lawyer with 0-5 years of experience, and that’s why it’s a great book for law students-irrespective of whether you are considering litigation as a career or not. I think it’s one that stimulates a certain kind of thinking in the readers familiar with the law. 

7. Bleak House (this is the best)

Bleak House is an absolute pleasure to read. With Dickens, it is never just about the story, but the nuances of his narrative plays a very important role. Bleak house is a must read for all, and most definitely all law students. And, here’s a good suggestion from a fellow-reader: do some homework on equity before you get to Bleak House, I’m sure the fun will be doubled!

Do you have a personal favourite? Add to the list in the comments!