Wednesday, 29 October 2008

Jack London


The life of Jack London (1876- 1916) reads exactly like the plot of one of his adventure stories. He was born John Chaney, the illegitimate son of an itinerant Irish- American astrologer and Flora Wellman, the black sheep of a well- to- do family. Before Jack was one year old, Flora had married a groccer called John London and settled into a life of poverty in Pennsylvania.

Young Jack increasingly found escape from the grimness in his surroundings in books borrowed from the local library; his reading was guided by the kindly local librarian. But when he was only fifteen, he left home and travelled around North America as a tramp. He even served thirty days in prison once on a charge of vagrancy.

By the time he was nineteen, he could drink and curse as well as his fellow boatmen in California. but he had never lost his love of reading, and his socialist creed also stressed the importance of education; by dint of cramming all his lost schooling into a few months, he managed to gain entry into the University of California. He soon left, however, and in 1896 was caught up in the gold rush to the Klondike river in north-west Canada. He returned from there with no gold at all, but with the seed of a story which in 1903 became a huge bestseller- The Call of the Wild.

His very next novel was the Sea Wolf (1904), one of the most exciting sea stories ever written, and bassed as usual on Jack's own experiences as a sailor in the early 1890's. By 1913 he was the highest paid and most widely read writer in the world. He spent all his money, however, on his friends, on drinking, and especially on building himself a castle- like house, which was destroyed by fire before completion. Financial difficulties forced him to drive himself mercilessly, and to drink heavily, until he could stand no more. In 1916, at the age of forty, Jack London took his own life.

The Sea Wolf


This book comes from Jack London- the mind behind the classic- White Fang.


When fate lands Humphery van Weyden on board the 'Ghost', a sealing schooner bound for Japan, little does he know of the weeks of brutality which lie ahead. Captain Wolf Larsen is feared and despised by all on the board, and only the chance arrival of Maud Brewster spurs Van Weyden into action in a deaperate attempt to free them both from the terrifying power of the Sea- Wolf.

White Fang


A book that could have easily been a self- help guide on courage...

Part wolf, part dog, with the strength and courage of both in his blood, White Fang is an orphan cub in the frozen frontier of the Yukon. His is a world of enemies, animal and human. His inborn instincts and acquired ways teach him to hunt... to fight... to win! Nothing else matters. Men exploit and abuse him until one man teaches the noble animal to recognize his own greatest attribute- his loyalty. Only then can White Fang face the most dangerous challenge of all!

Rebecca


Today's book is the timeless masterpiece by the author Daphne Du Maurier, a must read in one's lifetime.

This is Manderly- notorious, ridden by evil. Its mistress, Rebecca de Winter, has benn dead for eight months, drowned in a sailing accident. She was glamourous and adored. But through the eyes of Rebecca's successor at Manderly- Maxim de Winter's shy young wife- we come to know Rebecca as she really was. We realize with horror, the power she holds over Manderly even in death, and we watch her satanic curse paralyze Maxim de Winter's ove for his new wife. Then suddenly, a dramatic and bold revelation shatters Rebecca's spell...

Tuesday, 28 October 2008

Rose in Bloom


In this sequel to 'Eight Cousins,' Rose Campbell is six years older, returning to the 'Aunt Hill' after twi years of travelling around the world. Suddenly, she is surrounded by male admirers, all expecting her to marry them. But before she marries anyone, Rose is determined to establish herself as an independent young woman. Besides, she suspects that some of her friends like her more for her money than for herself. How can Rose tell who her real friends are? Is there anyone she can count on?

Eight Cousins


Needless to say... another by Louisa May Alcott

Left an orphan after her father's death, Rose Campbell is sent to live at the 'Aunt Hill' with her six aunts and seven roudy boy cousins. For someone who is used to a girl's boarding swchool, it all seems pretty overwhelming. Her guardian, Uncle Alec, makes her eat healthy things like oatmeal, and even tries to get her to give up her pretty dresses for drab, sensible clothes. Will Rose ever get used to her uncles's crazy notions and all her noisy relatives?

An Old Fashioned Girl


Another wonderful book by L.M. Alcott...

Polly Milton never questions the way she is- until she goes to visit her cousins in the city. Her cousin fanny looks too glamourous to be Polly's age; and wouldn't be caught dead playing in the snow. Will Polly ever learn to be like the other girls? And does she even want to? Sometimes being old- fasioned is right in style.

Louisa May Alcott


Louisa May Alcott (1832- 1888) was brought up in Pennsylvania in the United States. Her father was not a practical man and Louisa and her three sisters spent their childhood witnessing the failture of a school based on his own radical, idealist and educationalist theories (as in Little Men), a farm and a Utopian vegetarian community. By her midteens, Louisa had to find a way to support the family income.

For some years, she wrote lurid stories for the magazines and newspapers, and for publishers of dime novels- cheap paperback novels with melodramatic plots. Then, in 1862, when the fury of the American Civil War was at its height, Louisa went to Georgetown to work as a nurse. The conditions were frightful and she contracted typhoid fever and pneumonia. Her health was ruined for life, but her reputation was made. From her experiences she wrote a series of Hospital Sketches which won wide acclaim on publication in 1864. In the same year, an adult novel, Moods, based on her love for the famous American philosopher Henry David Thoreau, was also published.

She was now in demand as a writer, and a forward- thinking publisher persuaded her to write a children's book. At first she was reluctant, but then she realised that in herself and her three sisters, she had the perfect models (Jo March is modelled on Louisa both on build and character). The result was 'Little Women,' first published in book form in 1868 (Little Men followed in 1871). This was the earliest American children's novel to become classic. The tone is moralistic, but not dictating; and though it is called a children's book, the lifelike characters and situations had adults too, eagerly awaiting the next installment (it was originally published as a magazine serial) and grown men weeping at the tragic episodes. Even after, so many years of the author's death, the book has still just as much power to move its countless readers.

Little Men


The storyline may have shifted from the March girls, but like in all books of Alcott, the magic continues...

With two sons of her own and twelve boys and two girls filling in as students in the informal school at Plumfield, Jo March couldn't have been happier. But boys have a habit of getting into scrapes, even when they are bieng cared for by the warm and affectionate March family. Both trouble and adventure follow the boys from one day to another as they carve a place for themselves among the Marches.

Good Wives


Louisa May Alcott continues to spin her magic in this sequel to Little Women...

Three years on from Little Women, the March girls and their friend Laurie are young adults with their futures to find. Although they all face painful trails along the way- from Meg's sad lesson in housekeeping to Laurie's disappointment in love and the terrible tragedy that touches them all- each girl strives to find a happiness they know is out there somewhere.

Little Women


This timeless classic always brings hope and light in the hearts of its readers.

The good- natured March girls- Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy- manage to lead interesting lives despite Father's absence at war and the family's lack of money. Whether they're making plans for putting on a play or forming a secret society, their gaiety is infectious and even Laurie next door is swept up in their enthusiasm. Written from Louisa May Alcott's own experiences, this is a remarkable story.

Potraits


This book written by Cynthia Freeman tells us about the American Dream as it was envisaged by the people of the that time.

Jacob- Whose new found wealth could never fill the aching void inside him.

Sara- Who sacrificed everything in the name of love, even her daughter.

Shlomo- Who kept the family's disgrace a secret, and paid the price.

Rachel- Whose forbidden love for one man drove her into the arms of another.

Doris- A Cinderella who achieved fame beyond her wildest dreams and immense happiness.

Proud, passionate, and yearning for life, they came from the Lower East Side to the glittering heights of San Francisco. A family in search of the American Dream, they battled to survive in a bawling new world without losing touch with their spiritual heritage. Four generations of tears and joy- the tempestuous, rags-to-riches novel of an immigrant family who made the American Dream come true.

Monday, 27 October 2008

Peculiarities of Life




There was a boy at our school; we used to call him Sandford and Merton. His real name was Stivvings. He was the most extraordinary lad I ever came across. I believe he really liked study. He used to get into awful rows for sitting up in bed and reading Greek; and as for French irregular verbs, there was simply no keeping him. He was full of weird and unnatural notions about being a credit to his parents and an honor to the school; and he yearned to win prizes, and grow up to be a clever man, and had all those weak- minded ideas. I never knew such a creature, yet harmless, mind you, as the babe unborn.

Well, that boy used to get ill about twice a week, so that he couldn’t go to school. There never was such a boy as Sandford and Merton. If there was any known disease going ten miles of him, he had it badly. He would have bronchitis in the dog- days and hay- fever at Christmas. After a six- week period of drought, he would be stricken down with rheumatic fever; and he would go out in a November fog and come back with sunstroke.

They put him under laughing gas one year, poor lad and drew all his teeth, and gave him a false set, because he suffered so terribly from toothache; and then it turned to neuralgia and ear- ache. He was never without a cold, except for once in nine weeks while he had scarlet fever: and he always had chilblains. During the great cholera scare in 1871, our neighborhood was singularly free from it. There was only one reputed case in the whole parish: that case was young Stivvings. He had to stay in bed when he was ill, and eat chicken and custards and hot- house grapes; and he would lie there and sob, because they wouldn’t let him do Latin exercises, and took his German grammar away from him.

And we other boys, who would have sacrificed ten terms of our school life for the sake of being ill for a day, would stay out on blustery days, and it did us good and freshened us up: and we took things to make us sick, and they made us fat, and gave us an appetite. Nothing we could think of seemed to make us sick until the holidays began. Then on the breaking up days we caught colds and whooping coughs and all kinds of disorders which lasted till we recommenced: when inspite we could maneuver to the contrary we would get suddenly well again, and be better than ever.

Such is life.

- An excerpt from Three Men in a Boat.


Wednesday, 22 October 2008

The Poison Tree


I was angry with my friend,
I told my wrath, my wrath did end
I was angry with my foe,
I told it not, my wrath did grow.

I watered it in fears,
Night and morning with my tears
And I sunned it with smiles,
And soft deceitful wiles

And it grew both day and night,
Till it bore an apple bright
And my foe beheld it in shine,
And he knew it was mine

And into my garden stole,
When the night had veiled the pole
In the morning glad I see
My foe outstretched beneath the tree.

- William Blake

The Dacca Gauzes


Those transparent Dacca gauzes

Known as woven air, running water,

Evening dew;


A dead art now, dead over a hundred years

‘No one now knows,’ my grandmother says,


‘What it was to wear or touch that cloth.’

She wore it once, an heirloom sari


From her mother’s dowry- proved genuine

When it was pulled all six yards through a ring.


Years later when it tore,

Many handkerchiefs were embroidered

With gold thread paisleys


Were distributed among the

Nieces and daughter- in- law

Those too now lost.


In history we learnt: the hands

Of weavers were amputated,

The looms of Bengal silenced,


And the cotton shipped raw

By the British to England

History of little use to her


My grandmother just says

How the muslins of today

Seem so coarse and that only

In autumn, should one wake up

At dawn to pray, can one

Feel that same texture again.


One morning, she says, the air

Was dew- starched; she pulled

It absently through her ring.


- Agha Shahid Ali

Friendship


Today is my best friend's birthday. And I have a poem here dedicated just to her...

A friend is like a flower,
A rose to be exact.
Or maybe like a brand- new gate,
that never goes latched.

A friend is like an owl,
Both beautiful and wise,
Perhaps a friend is like a holy ghost,
whose spirit never dies.

a friend is like those blades of grass,
You can never know!
Standing straight and tall and proud,
In perfect little rows!

A friend is like a heart that goes strong until the end,
Where would we be in this world,
If we didn't have a friend?

- Unknown.

Tuesday, 21 October 2008

Women in Love


Lawrence's finest, most mature novel initially met with disgust and incomprehension. In the love affairs of two sisters- Ursula and Rupert, and Gudrun with Gerald, critics could only see a sorry tale of sexual depravity and philosophical obscurity.

'Women in Love', however, is a profound response to a whole cultural crisis. The 'progress' of the modern industrialized world has led to the carnage of the First World War. What, then, did it mean to call ourselves 'human'? On what grounds could we place ourselves above and beyond the animal world? What are the definitive forms of our friendships- love, marriage, family, friendship- really worth? And how might they be otherwise?

Without directly referring to the war, women in love explores these questions with restless energy. As a sequel to 'The Rainbow', the novel develops experimental techniques which made D. H. Lawrence one of the most important writers of the Modernist movement.

The Mirror


I am silver and exact. I have no preconceptions.
Whatever I see I swallow immediately
Just as it is, unmisted by love or dislike.
I am not cruel, only truthful-
The eye of a little god, four- cornered.
Most of the time I meditate on the opposite wall.
It is pink, with speckles. I have looked at it so long
I think it is a part of my heart. But it flickers.
Faces and darkness separate us over and over.

Now I am a lake. A woman bends over me,
Searching my reaches for what she really is.
Then she turns to those liars, the candles or the moon.
I see her back, and reflect it faithfully.
She rewards me with tears and an agitation of her hands.
I am important to her. She comes and goes.
Eah morning it is her face that replaces the darkness.
In me she has drowned a young girl, and in me an old woman
Rises toward her day after day like a terrible fish.

- Sylvia Plath

A Twist in the Tale


A man calls unexpectedly on his mistress and sees another man leaving her flat. Accusing her of being unfaithful, he quarrels with her, strikes her, she dies.

Leaving unseen, he tips off the police so that the other man is arrested and charged... Has he achieved 'the perfect murder'?

A tantalizing opening to A TWIST IN THE TALE.

Consider also: a wine- tasting with a bizzare difference, a game of chess with a sexy stranger, a violent row in a golf clubhouse bar, a rivalry founded on eating cornflakes... just some of the openings in this cunningly constructed, fast- moving, entertaining set of stories from the bestselling author of our time, Jeffrey Archer.

As the Crow Flies


If your dream is big enough, not even your enemies can stop you.

Charlie Trumper's earliest memory is of hearing his grandfather's sales patter from behind k his costermonger's barrow. When Grandpa Charlie dies, young Charlie wants nothing more than to follow in his footsteps- his burning ambition is to own a shop that will sell everything: the biggest barrow in the world.

Charlie's progress from the teeming streets of Whitechapel to the elegance of Chelsea Terrace is only a few miles 'as the crow flies'. But in Jeffrey Archer's expert hands it becomes an epic journey through the triumphs and disastersof the last century, as Charlie follows a thread of love, ambition and revenge to fulfil the dream his grandfather inspired.

A Prisoner of Birth


If Danny Cartwright had proposed to Beth Wilson the day before, or the day after, he would not have been arrested and charged with the murder of his best friend.

And when the four prosecution witnesses are a barrister, a popular actor, an aristocrat, and the youngest partner in an established firm's history, who is going to believe your side of the story?

Danny is sentenced to 22 years and sent to Belmarsh prison, the highest security jail in the land, from where no inmate has ever escaped.

But Spencer Craig, Lawrence Davenport, Gerald Payne and Toby Mortimer all underestimate Danny's determination to seek revenge, and Beth's relentless quest to pursue justice, which force all 4 protagonists to fight for their lives.

Thus begins Jeffrey Archer's most powerful novel since Kane and Abel, with a cast of characters who will remain with you long after you've turned the last page.

Saturday, 18 October 2008

P.S. I Love You


Some people wait their whole lives to find their soul mates. But not Holly and Gerry.

They were childhood sweethearts- no one could imagine Holly and Gerry without each other.

Until the unthinkable happens. Gerry's death devastates Holly. But as her 30th birthday looms Holly discovers that Gerry has left her a bundle of notes, gently guiding her into her new life without him, each signed 'P.S. I Love You.'

With some help from her friends, and her noisy and loving family, Holly finds herself laughing, crying, singing, dancing- and being braver than before.

Life is for living, she realizes- but it always helps if there's an angel watching over you.

Hear the unspoken


Many years ago, a wise king set out to teach his son, the crown prince, the wisdom necessary for him to become a great ruler. The king decided to send the prince to the forest for one year. The wise father instructed the prince to return in exactly one year and describe the sounds of the forest.
The dutiful son did accordingly. He went to the forest and listened to all the sounds he could hear. He returned in one year and happily told his father what he had heard: leaves rustling in the wind, leaves falling to the earth, birds singing, bees buzzing, insects whirring and chirping, small and large animals coming and going, water gurgling up from crevices in rocks.
But the king was not pleased. He frowned and admonished his beloved son to go back to the forest and listen to the true sounds of the forest.
The boy sat alone beside the huge trees and lay on the forest grass, pondering over his apparent lack of understanding. After many days and nights, the prince began to sense a strange awareness about him. At least he could return to his father much wiser.
So, the young boy ran home, bursting with the excitement of his new learning. He came to his father and reported that finally he had heard the leaves of the trees awakening in the morning dew, the sounds of the woodland flowers opening and closing, the clamour of all the earth as it bared itself to the warming rays of the noonday sun, the heartbeats of a thousand animals and birds. His father was pleased.
"My son," said the king, "To hear 'the unhearable' is one's best discipline for being a great ruler. The best rulers must hear the unspoken joys and pains of their rulers. It is to hear the obvious and the superficial, the great kingdoms are built only by the hearing the secret sounds of those around you. You have learned well the wisdom of the forest and your lifelong task."

Wednesday, 8 October 2008

Sherlock Holmes- an intro


Sherlock Holmes- An Introduction


By Eoin Colfer


Very few literary characters attain iconic status. The term is bandied around, certainly, but few are worthy of it. I find a simple test is to count the number of people you know with the same name as the supposed icon. If there are none, then either the supposed icon is completely unknown, or the name is too strongly associated with the fictitious person for it to sit comfortably on anyone else’s shoulders. I think you will agree, Sherlock Holmes is an icon.

Sherlock has become such a recognizable name that it would be almost unthinkable to bestow it on any male child. Imagine the schoolyard jibes, “You’re not so clever now, are you Sherlock?” No parent would do it, any more than they would name their offspring Attila. The name Sherlock has such strong associations that it can be used as an insult or a compliment. Say something smart and its- well done, Sherlock. State the obvious and you’re quite likely to hear- Uh, you think, Sherlock? Or worse.

So who is Sherlock Holmes? And why are the tales of deductive exploits still fascinating in the third century of their telling? Of course you know the answer to the first question. We all know it. Everyone over the age of five with access to any form of media kno0ws that Sherlock Holmes was the greatest detective the world has ever seen. Holmes has made such an impression on the human psyche that millions who have heard the name consider him to be an actual historic figure.

And why are we still fascinated by Holmes? There is no simple answer to that question. Several factors combine to elevate Conan Doyle’s creation above a legion of pretenders. The character himself is an original, the father of countless imitations. We all know the ones, the acerbic detectives that populate television screen and the pages of fiction. Holmes was the first and the best.

In his day, Holmes was a completely new breed of detective. His adventures were cerebral, his powers of detection bordering on the supernatural. Holmes could take one look at a passerby and tell us his name, race occupation, and quite possibly, his astrological sign. Where traditional literary heroes had waded in with swords and dashing grins, Holmes carved up his opponents with pointed observations and caustic wit.

And it wasn’t just royal scandal and dastardly homicide that fascinated Holmes. He was just as likely to invest his time in finding the owner of a Christmas goose as he was to save a young innocent from the noose. Holmes was no crime snob; indeed many of his investigations did not involve actual crime at all. The mystery was the thing.

Sherlock Holmes did whatever it took to unravel the mystery. He donned fantastic disguises, mounted elaborate charades, and, on occasion, broke the law if it meant solving the case. The cases were his life, and when there were no mysteries to be examined, Holmes often sank into a drug fuelled depression until the next interesting character came calling.

And there was no shortage of interesting characters. Each story brought a fresh member of the public to Baker Street seeking the advice of the great Sherlock Holmes, and his partner, Dr. Watson. Holmes would then demonstrate his acumen by laying bare his guests’ life story through a series of ingenious observations. This was always the favorite part of the story for me, and I would pore over hi deductions for some clue as to how Holmes had arrived at his conclusion.

I must admit that I found the villains almost as fascinating as Holmes himself. First, I admired their audacity to even contemplate crime in the same city as Sherlock Holmes. But it was their wit that I admired most. These were not the stereotypical two- dimensional heavies of the era’s popular fiction. These were erudite, sophisticated men, capable of giving Holmes a run for his money. In Irene Adler, we even had a female adversary- almost unheard of in the nineteenth century. And just as Holmes himself gave rise to countless facsimiles, his nemesis, Dr. Moriarty, paved the way for a veritable battle of charming British villains.

Disguise was another weapon in Holmes arsenal. No matter how many times he popped up in a different persona, it took me unawares, and I was watching out for it. I suspected every new character in the story. I was on tenterhooks until Holmes revealed himself. This was part of Conan Doyle’s genius. He made us pay attention, knowing that if we tried to super- read, Sherlock Holmes would make a jackass of us once again. He would slip into the story unnoticed, and a point out with ridiculous ease what we had failed to notice. Every tale becomes a challenge to outthink the master. Needless to say, that the challenge was rarely met.

So if you are settling down to The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes the first time, here is the drill: DO NOT settle down, stay alert. Watch for any strange characters. Discount no one, however identical he or she may seem. No skimming descriptive paragraphs, for often this is where Conan Doyle camouflages vital information. Find an unoccupied younger member of the family and test out your new found skills of deduction on them. And when you finally finish the last case in the volume, sit back and marvel at how every fictitious private detective of the past hundred and twenty years owes his license to London’s Sherlock Holmes.

Ayn Rand


Born February 2, 1905, Ayn rand published her first novel, "We the Living", in 1936. 'Anthem' followed in 1938. It was with the publication of 'The Fountainhead' (1943) and 'Atlas Shrugged' (1957), that she achieved her spectacular success. Ms. Rand's unique philosophy, Objectivism, has gained a worldwide audience. The fundamentals of her philosophy are put forth in three nonfiction books, 'Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology', 'The Virtue of Selfishness', and 'Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal.'

The Fountainhead


The Fountainhead, Ayn Rand's controversial novel, tells the story of the desperate battle wagesd by architect Howard Roark, whose integrity was as unyielding as granite... of Dominique Francon, the exquisitely beautiful woman who loved Roark passionately, but married his worst enemy... of the fanatic denunciation unleashed by an enraged society against a great creator. Its theme is one of the most challenging ideas ever presented in a work of fiction- that man's ego is the fountainhead of human progress.

7 secrets of success...


.... I found in my room.
Roof said: Aim high
Fan said: Be cool
Clock said: Every minute is precious
Mirror said: Reflect before you act
Window said: See the world
Calender said: Be- up- to - date
Door said: Push hard to achieve your goals.

- unknown

Amu


"Mom, after everything you've taught me, everything you've ever stood for, since when is hiding the truth the right thing to do?"

Kajori (Kaju) Roy, a vivacious young Indian- American, returns to the land of her birth to discover her roots. Adopted as an orphaned three- year old, her attempts to delve into her forgotten childhood throw up a number of intriuging questions: who were her birth parents? How did they die? How did her adoptive mother find her, and then why did they emigrate to America?

Woven around this compelling central narrative are a number of other stories that unfold the complexities of family relationships, explore the dilemmas of diasporic Indian identity, and potray the rich mosiac of life in contemprorary urban India.

As Kaju's voyage of self discovery takes her from the mustard fields of rural India to the killing fields of Delhi during the 1984 riots, the mystery of her past is unravelled in a searing climax. This book by Shonali Bose is worth giving a try, it will definately engross you and the emotions are very real.

Monday, 6 October 2008

Fire and Ice


Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice twice
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.

- Robert Frost

Brisingr


Christopher Paolini outdoes himself every time!

Its been only months since Eragon first uttered 'Brisingr', an ancient- language term for fire. Since then, he's not only learned to create magic with words- he's been challenged to his very core. Following the colossal battle against the Empire's warriors on the Burning Plains, Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, narrowly escaped with their lives. Still, there is more adventure at hand for the Rider and his dragon, as Eragon finds himself bound by a tangle of promises he may not be able to keep.

First is Eragon's oath to his cousin Roran: to help rescue Roran's beloved from King Galbatorix's clutches. But Eragon owes his loyalties to others too. The Varden are in desperate need of hid talents and strengths- as arew the elves and the dwarfs. When unrest claims the rebels and danger strikes from every corner, Eragon must make choices- choices that will take him across the Empire and beyond, choices that may lead to unimagined sacrifice.

Eragon is the greatest hope to rid the land of tyranny. Can this once simple farm boy unite the rebel forces and defeat the king?

Eldest


Even better than Eragon....

Eragon and his dragon Saphira have just saved the rebel state from destruction by the forces of King Galbatorix, the cruel ruler of the Empire. Noe Eragon must travel to Ellesmera, land of the elves, for further training in magic and swordsmanship, the vital skills of the Dragon Rider. It is the journey of the lifetime, each day a fresh adventure. But chaos and betrayal plague him at each turn, and Eragon isn't sure whom he can trust. Meanwhile, cousin Roran must fight a new battle- one that puts Eragon in even greater danger... Darkness falls... Despair abounds... Evil reigns

Eragon


One boy.... One dragon..... A world of adventure

Mind blowing story by Christopher Paolini, the excitement will not leave you till the end.... Just one word of advice- have a little patience and read the whole book, you will be rewarded for your efforts.

When Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the luck discovery of a poor farm boy, perhaps it will buy his family meat for the winter. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon soon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself.

Overnight his simple life is shattered, and he is thrust into a perilious new world of destiny, magic and power. Can Eragon take up the mantle of the Legendary Dragon Rider? The fate of the Empire may rest in his hands.
It beats the movie anytime!!!!!!!!!

The Lollipop Shoes


"Who died?" I said. "Or is it a secret?"
"My mother, Vianne Rocher."

Seeking refuge and anonymity in the cobbled streets of Montmatre, Yanne, and her daughters, Rossette and Annie, live peacefully, if not happily, above their little chocolate shop. Nothing unusual marks them out; no red sachets hang by the door. The wind has stopped for atleast a while. Then into their lives blows Zozie del' Alba, the lady with the lollipop shoes, and everything begins to change...

But this new friendship is not what it seems. Ruthless, devious and seductive, Zozie del' Alba has plans of her own- plans that will shake their world to pieces. And with everything she loves at stake, Yanne must face a difficult choice: to flee, as she has done so many times before, or to confront her most dangerous enemy... herself.
A sequel to the famous Chocolat by Joanne Harris.

Blackberry Wine


Jay Mackintosh is trapped by the memory in the old familiar landscape of his childhood, more enticing than the present, and to which he longs to return. A bottle of home- brewed wine left to him by a long- vanished friend seems to provide both the key to an old mystery and a doorway into another world. As the unusual properties of the strange brew takes effect, Jay escapes to a derlict farmhouse in the French village of Lansquenet, where a ghost from the past waits to confront him, and the reclusive Marise- haunted, lovely and dangerous- hides a terrible secret behind her closed shutters. Between them, a mysterious chemistry. Or... could it be magic? Check out this story by whimsical mistress Joanne Harris.

Thursday, 2 October 2008

Chocolat


Check out this whimsical masterpiece of Joanne Harris...
When an exotic stranger, Vianne Rocher, arrives in the French village of Lansquenet, and opens a chocolate boutique directly opposite the Church, Father Reynaud identifies her as a serious danger to his flock- especially as it is the beginning of Lent, the traditional season of self- denial. War is declared as the priest denounces the newcomer's wares as the ultimate sin. Suddenly Vianne's shop- cum- cafe means that there is somewhere for secrets to be whispered, grievances to be aired, dreams to be tested. But Vianne's plan for an Easter Chocolate Festival divide the whole community is a conflict that escalates into a 'church not chocolate' battle. As mooths water in anticipation, can the solemnity of the church compare with the pagan passion of a chocolate eclair?

Breaking Dawn


"When you loved the one who was killing you, it left you no options. How could you run, how could you fight, when doing so would hurt that beloved one? If your life was all you had to give, how could you not give it? If it was someone you truly loved?"

To be irrevocably in love with a vampire is both fantasy and nightmare woven into a dangerously heightened reality for Bella Swan. Pulled in one direction by her intense passion for Edward Cullen, and in another by her profound connection to Jacob Black, she has endured a tumultuous year of temptation, loss and strife to reach the ultimate turning point. Her imminent choice to either join the dark but seductive world of immortals or pursue a fully human life has become the thread from which the fate of two tribes hangs.
Now that Bella has made her decision, a startling chain of unprecedented events is about to unfold with a potentially devastating and unfathomable consequences. Just when the frayed edges of Bella's life first discovered in Twilight, then scattered and torn in New Moon and Eclipse- seem ready to heal and knit together, could they be destroyed... forever?

The astonishing, breathlessly anticipated conclusion to the Twilight Saga, Breaking Dawn illuminates the secrets and mysteries of this spellbinding romantic epic that has entranced millions.

Eclipse


In this third book of the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer the story continues...
As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob- knowing that her decision has the power to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella has one more decision to make: life or death. But which is which?