The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – Stieg Larsson

Yippee.. am done with another book after a long time.. and even started writing my review. Seems like my predictions on turning completely lazy or sacrificing all time for things which do not mark any milestones are obsolete. J

“The girl with The Dragon Tattoo” – one of the books which I saw constantly in the newspaper reviews, new additions to the Sale Ads and on my table, reminding the list of books I have to tick off this year. Before getting into some serious books, I was tempted to read one last book from my wishlist and then try my hands with all these professional reading, career development, leadership, business management, etc. which you anyhow end up spending all your time at work.

So back to Stieg’s.. It was depressing to find that he was not alive to witness the world-wide phenomenon his books had stirred. This mini story on the front cover and the word “Tattoo” and “Girl” had kindled my interest and I should say that the book did not disappoint me till the last page. I started with reading 2 pages a day due to the minimum time I had to spend on things which are of real interests. But then, ended up carrying this book wherever I went.

It is basically a murder mystery which has to be solved after 40 years. It seems impossible with the various complications that happens on that day and the thorough combing of events for 37 years, resulting in no great clues/guesses that could lead to Harriet Vanger’s body. Along with the mystery, the book also describes on a financial empire of Wennerstorm functioning in the structure of a parasite on another. The third plot which incessantly stitches these pieces is the Girl with a dragon tattoo..Lisbeth Salander.

A messy child, fallen into wrong circumstances for multiple years, finds a way to live in the society she remotely understands. Until, 3/4^th of the book, I could not convince myself for naming the book on her. Though she has an intriguing character, and it was good to read about her life, the way she similarizes a dragon, it did not make much relevance to the crust of the story, rather to the question.. “Who killed Harriet? “ But, when I was done with the book, it made all sense justifying the leading Dragon Girl. As the question was answered well in advance, I had little interest to complete the rest of the book. But, the author had made good attempts to make me stick until the last page. And surprisingly, the last page had a lasting effect to hold on to Salander for some more time…

Bought this book in a sale for Rs.255 against an original price of Rs.299. Published first in 2005 in Sweden. Interesting read. Can be read once. Has the power to glue you to your seats. I did a 3 AM to 9:30 AM on a weekday..

:P

P.S I Love You by Cecelia Ahern

Done with another book.. But I miss my usual feeling of accomplishing something after every book.. I wish P.S I Love You had lasted longer.. just as Holly wished Gerry’s cards kept coming on all the remaining months of her life..

Holly and Gerry, the 2 names which I woke up and slept to will never leave my thoughts, when anything related to Love appears.. A book apart from the Chicken Soup series which had my eyes constantly filled from the first chapter, and yet I never regretted reading it.. It is more about a mourning story of a young widow and still it never felt so. Every card from Gerry made me wish Holly woke up from her dream to her loving husband beside.

It depicts the Love of a Marvelous man towards his wife, how they love each other and how they fight over silly stuff and how all the imperfections no longer seem imperfect once the final date is nearing, and when it arrives, how the sad-struck Holly deals with the empty house and the uninterested challenges Gerry posed on her, how she demarcates the true friends from the not-so-true ones, how she manages being amidst a crowd of couples evolving, breaking up or ditching each other, how she evolves as a stronger woman every day and making us go weak as pages fly.

Amidst all these, you would really be satisfied with lot of smiles, laughter, love and curses for Cecilia Ahern for not getting impressed by the Dream chapter we have in most of our Tamil movies.

There is a movie available on this novel. But, pls do read the book and for sure, you would hunt for a copy to experience more of Holly and Gerry..

P.S: I miss you Holly

2 States by Chetan Bhagat

*(31-Dec- 2010)

There are books of Chetan Bhagat which were No.1 Best Sellers initially and then taken to movies. But this time, Chetan’s book is inspired from the Kollywood movies, Poovellaam Kettupaar and Jodi.(Ya. If 3 Idiots is copied from 5 pt someone, 2 states is also from these movies).

 Simple storyline.  An IIT, IIM Punjabi lad and an IIM Tamil gal fall in love. Unfortunately, they decide to get married. And there starts the drama.

Even cracking the IIM Entrance tests would not have pressurized them as much as uniting a North Indian and a South Indian Family in the name of Marriage. The way they had to impress each other seemed far too easy when they decided to impress each others’ parents.  The pains taken by Krish, struggling in Chennai with his first blood-sucking job, with his craziest room mates who remain as new as the 1^st day even after years, his IIT Entrance Tuitions for Ananya’s bro, a wiz kid who ends up teaching Krish instead, a computer illiterate Ananya’s Dad(his may-be-or-may-not-be FIL) who has to be molded to present before a CEO, a well-settled groom with a Bungalow in Texas to whom Ananya’s parents are all ready to marry her off, his constantly bugging Father, etc will make any guy to choose a guy instead. :P

Still, its surprising that they never fight. Not even a small misunderstanding until their marriage is taken to the next step. Whereas, these days, couples fight and fight and fight such that no effort is required from the parents to part them..:)

As Krish impresses Ananya’s parents and when they are all ok, 3/4^th of the book is over and Ananya impressing Krish’s parents is all in a jiffy and gives a dramatic feel with little logic. However, the marriage preparations and the differences between the North Indian and South Indian rituals, especially the Kasi Yatra make people LOL. I now understand why Chetan had to travel so many Colleges assuring all South Indians are his family (and he can take the liberty of criticizing anything and everything South Indian from Idiyappam to Carnatic Music).

As a whole, it’s a casual read, which does not require much of your efforts, remembering too many characters or undisclosed hints in the initial chapters. Even if u forget t first half, doesn’t matter much. The other pages are equally interesting and will make you move further.. A best book to carry during a travel, especially wen u cant run for a dictionary. Thanks to Chetan’s choice of simple words.

As always, Chetan’s Preface makes a person grab the book instantly and I was not an exception. Though, there were no plans to impress any parents, I was giving my heart and soul to finish this book, even on my New Year Trip to Chikmaglur. I started in Tamil Nadu(1^st state), carried it all the way to Karnataka(2^nd State) and finished it before my unrealistic deadline (Yippee… 1 book in 2 days, dat too amidst 10 fun loving guys, 1 cutie pie and 1 dogg in an awesome homestay, Nature’s Abode).

Wish Chetan titles his next book as “2 Countries”… :P

This book has to be a real biography of Chetan and will help all those youngsters in love to make their parents smile in their Wedding picture. Even in Chetan Bhagat’s generation( just 5 yrs back), ppl have taken love 2 seriously. And, now guys have different ways to simplify things like Living Together, Friends with Benefits or a simple “At the end, we realized we are just 2 different”.. ;)

Brida by Paulo Coelho

Am done with another book. Great…

Exactly when I was wildly analyzing on what 26 years of Earth+Uma has contributed to, it was tough to point out accomplishments.. and even tougher to end up saying nothing tangible…when the journey was as tough as most of the people and more tough than few of them.

So to the intangible accomplishments..

Apart from few compliments received.. which seemed unrealistic at times or as if originated for the need of the hour..the few times in life when mind and heart nodded to the same beat…”Yes.. u have done it” was every time I finished a book. So my most tangible accomplishments(this para was to b abt intangible accomplishments?, anyway.. no1 bothers abt it…) lie in the loft.. in a box severed tight with thoughts on not sharing any of them with anybody. Call me selfish, spend thrift, dash dash.. I prefer “Possessive”.. Extremely possessive on my books more than I’m on my guy.. A guy who earns to get one of them will be my SoulMate.. not the Oxford meaning.. but Paulo Coelho’s..

The way he describes a SoulMate..MG.. I fell in love.. with the book and with the Author.. gud tat he was more than 60..;) Always wondered on various facts on Earth and Life as a kid.. which was too dreamy then.. on

1.          Y Sun rises in the East? Y not North or South?

2.          How Birth/Death happens?

3.          They taught plants are non living things. And now they say they 2 are living..Does a Waterfall has life too? That’s categorised non-living today..

4.          Y r these Saints behind the Qn “Y am I born?” ? (They are born just like me.. I don’t bother. Y do they alone? )

5.           If every human is a reincarnation of another soul in the past, then how did the total World Population rose from 2(Adam and Eva) to billions in India alone. (shud hav been billions In the beginning itself or 2 now)

6.          etc.,.

Mind finds an answer and the next question pops up. The biggest challenge was to find the answer for the last qn which makes me postpone thoughts for future.. As usual, forgot most of them. The best solution/ definition for most of them is encrypted here through the Tradition of the Moon and the Tradition of the Sun. Guys.. its not a book on Astronomy. When I read the Epilogue.. I felt the same.. it was as cryptic as it cud be.. but as the pages flipped, I started talking with these as my Alphabets..

A new definition to Fiction.. It can happen only with Paulo Coelho. Guys whoever loved Inception will be awestruck seeing themselves moving through levels of trances. Just by inkmarks on a sheet.. with no costs on graphics or pay checks or popcorns..

It is about a girl’s journey to learn Magic (a bridge to walk from the visible world to the invisible and a tool to learn the lessons of both Worlds – Paulo’s defn) from 2 great personalities.. one who mastered the Tradition of the Sun, who happens to be her SoulMate…and the other, a Witch who masters in the Tradition of the Moon. The challenges she faces and the way she deals with them, mustering more courage,  dealing with her lack of confidence, taking a break now and then from her path to destiny and finally achieving what she wanted are all Paulo Coelho’s trademarks..(I stop with admiring them.. J) Carried from the Alchemist days..

Beyond these routine stuff, there were so many instances when I felt how on Earth can this guy imagine these.. he should have been so much into it.. thinking, thinking, thinking, eating, drinking and breathing the World of Magic. There were so many quotes on Nature, SoulMates, Magic, Life and Love which makes the reader search for a pen and an everlasting book.

It is about Magic.. but not the Harry Potter stuff..

It is about Witches.. but nothing to scare you..

Every chapter made me call him a mad freak for his thoughts and how he saw minute things which we failed to see aiming for different Tangibles. And it did happen.. This nonconformist was committed to a mental Institution twice by his father for following his dream. K Am fortunate..

A Convenient Groom

                My first Mills and Boon Book.. I have to accept that I din figure it till I finished.. ;) There were too many titles on the cover, which almost hid this Brand.. “ A Convenient Groom”, “The Bridal Business”, “Tender Romance” and Mills & Boon in the tiniest of the fonts.

                It is about Riana, an up-and-coming designer, dumped by her fair-weathered boyfriend, roaming on the streets with a bottle of vodka.. (Gud that these girls have a route to suppress and still call it a blow. )She wakes up in her office and finds a strange fiance overnight. Before she can figure out, what made Joe Henderson propose her and embark a new dream, called Marriage, she fell trapped in his sparkling eyes, authentic aura and tender care.

Still, a girl’s subconscious never believes, even if it’s the Avatar Ram. Just a Joe, who had impressed her with few pick-up lines in a bar.. One part of her waits for the second to figure out how Joe was using her. While , the other, loves every aspect of him, his golden eyes, his longing for love,  the space which she gave her, the attention he showed on her interests and work, his wish to raise a Terrier, his desire to have children and his untidy look.

                Thanks to her sixth sense, she meets Joe’s fiancé, engaged for the past 6 months, hidden from the time she met him till the second she dumps him for no reason, or without revealing the reason.  A girl, who dumps guys, even if she gets t slightest spark that he is playing around, finds for t first time, how it pains, when it dawns that u were never loved. She springs and gets back to her tough professional avatar., hiding her longing desire to get settled like her sisters.

Did Joe really cheat her? Who is this new fiancé? Will Riana design her own bridal dress, when every other bride glittered with her designs? .. The book will help you with these..: )

No idea, how this book came to my rack.. Must be a free gift with a magazine.. should have laid there for years. The size seemed attractive. It helped increase my count by 1in a week. J

Ranam Sugam : Book Isai

Team, can I call u a perfect combo? or is there any other word devised to mean more than this? it was an awesome experience. 2.30 hrs.. away from all my worries/confusions/even the thought that I dwell on Earth..The second I finished it and all the other seconds b4 it, I was waiting to get a copy each, for all my friends..most of them are unlucky as they cannot read tamil.


One sentence in the 1st chapter had impressed me like anything and published it immly in FB. B4 I crossed the next page, there was one more. And by the end of the book, I felt the urge to LIKE every other sentence in it.I just wanted to save them fresh for the yet-to-be readers/listeners/admirers of the bookisai. Else, this review would be glittering with all your gems.

Though the book/ the writing impressed me more than the music, I ended up listening to the songs everyday... to the extent of listening in the car, transferring to my mobile and playing in my workplace( it is so common these days.. still I din mak it a habit even with my ever-fav ARR nos.: ) ), again during the evening travel of 1.45 hrs and after reaching home too. Thot that I liked the Vaarthai thavarivittai song.. and then I made up that I liked Pachai Narambukul , and then was confused whether I liked the title song..it took a week's time for me to realize tat I cudnt miss a single song any no of times, I hear it.. (still.. my favourite is paathiyil.. evry time I hear it, I jus laugh lik anything.. I mak sure I skip that song alone in my off)

A different experience, a different approach, one-of-its kind outcome….. this list will be endless…

Waiting for your next masterpiece…

Uma Bagavathiraj

Life of Pie: Book Review

Hi,




Just finished a book, " Life of Pi" by Yann Martel...after a long

struggle.. ; )



The author is a Spanish born - Canadian and is best known for his Booker

Prize in 2002, which he received for this Pondicherry- based story.



Its about an Indian boy who loses his family in a ship-wreck and finds

himself all alone in a life-boat with a Hyena, an Orangutan, a Zebra

with a broken leg and Richard Parker, a highly ferocious Tiger.



Soon, he ends up being the only prey for the Tiger.



How he manages to spend 227 days( the highest so far) in the Pacific

with an ever-hungry Bengal Tiger, right next to him, forms the remaining

part of the story.

The way he handles things is highly astonishing for his age.. and we may

end up seeing our sickest problems more lighter..



And .. on the author.. I am still googling to find whether it is really

a fiction novel.. the only evidence being the rack I picked this novel

from...