And The Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini : Book Review

 “I suspect the truth is that we are waiting, all of us, against insurmountable odds, for something extraordinary to happen to us.”

I wonder how he did it. And The Mountains Echoed is a poignant tale of the powerful love between a brother and a sister. Hosseini makes us look at a taken-for-granted relationship used mostly for quarrelling purposes with a renewed lens.

Abdullah, ten, is someone who would go to any lengths for his three-year-old sister, Pari. Having been by her side since her birth, with no mother to care for them, he means the world to Pari. But what unfolds when their father sets off with Pari across the desert in search of work, is what fate is all about. Thus the story unfolds across decades, countries, continents, and myriad characters, all leading somewhat intertwined lives.

The novel begins with the kids’ father telling them a bedtime story about ‘A finger cut to save the hand’. It is only later that we realize what unsaid implication the story had.

Hosseini masterfully veers through multiple narratives at once, a moment back you might be in a rich Parisian house and the next moment you are flown to the dusty streets of Kabul. The setting shifts from Shadbagh, a small village in Afghanistan, to Kabul, then to Paris and America.

His adroitly sketched characters deserve a special mention to themselves. He brings out the inner turmoil experienced by his characters, their secrets that lie trapped in them forever. The backstories of all the characters are beautifully brought out leaving behind hardly any string dangling. Knowing their stories gives us a sense of intimacy with the characters. All their actions become magically explained, leaving us wondering if we could, in real life too be as forgiving if we knew as well the past of our family and friends.

His captivating style clutches at your heart the most, leaving you entranced and bewitched. Hosseini brings out many shades of mankind in a kindly non-judging manner. How he manages to squeeze the many aspects of humankind remains a mystery to me.

An intricate tale, the novel was something unlike anything I had read so far. Although the narrative frequently switches, it always has a firm hold on your heart and mind, making it a compulsively addictive book. Hosseini, with masterly skill, wrenches your heart out yet leaves it suffused with one of the purest forms of love.

The story might’ve been lost. Who brought it to us?

Time passes. Generations are replaced. Only the mountains remain, the steady witnesses of the truly transparent love. And the mountains, echoed.

 

 

41 Anmol Kahaniya (41 Priceless Stories) by Munshi Premchand: Book Review

 “ The world assumes that we are happy with high mansions, fine carriages, servants and attendants, and huge investments. But he who is without the honor and strength of the soul can be anything but happy. (transl.)”

Geetanjali Shree’s ‘Tomb of Sand’ emerging as the Booker Prize winner made me reflect upon how far I had been marginalizing Hindi literature. And picking up Premchand’s collection of stories, emerged as a sure eye-opener.

Dhanpat Rai Srivastava, better known by his pen name, Munshi Premchand, was one of the most pioneering writers in Hindi literature. His works are all classics, capturing the then India with all its copious dissimilitudes, both social and economical.

Reading him was just like reading a detailed and factual thesis on the early twentieth-century India, albeit coloured with his vivid imagination.

Premchand’s works are an ideal quintessence of the Indian spirit. Capturing life with all its ironies and beauty, his style is a wonderful blend of sarcasm with deference. Cascading over numerous social, political, professional, religious, and family issues, his stories leave hardly any topic untouched.

His clearly etched characters bring out his mastery over the short-story genre.  I was impressed by how Premchand has distinctly brought out the clashing perspectives of all his characters in his stories , sticking to the truth of those days, refraining from any fairy-tale endings.

The exquisite vocabulary used in his stories adds further to the charm of his work. His command over Hindi and Urdu language beautifully leaves us entranced in the world he paints.

Reading his work led me to realize that Premchand was essentially a feminist, a man who stood up for women’s rights at a time when feminism was yet to be coined.

 If you are a Gen Z reader, you might take more than your average time reading them as the stories are all in Hindi.

Most of us might have read Premchand’s works when they were a part of our Hindi textbooks. But now, it is time to go through his works once more, now from a mature perspective. The stories bring forth a volley of emotions, leaving you yearning for more.

Happy Reading!!

Fish! by Stephen C. Lundin, Harry Paul, and John Christensen : Book Review

Prologue: I stumbled upon this book on a day when I was feeling particularly grumpy out of a dearth of good reading material and I must say I actually felt energized after reading it, well, in a span of two hours. Moving to the review….

“When we choose to love the work we do, we can catch our limit of happiness, meaning, and fulfillment every day.”

Fish! - a treasury of powerful nuggets on workplace positivity.

Witness how Mary Jane- a single mother and newly appointed manager, works towards transforming her ‘toxic energy dump’ of a department into a lively, happening one.

Helped by one of the fish mongers at the world famous ‘Seattle’s Pike Place Fish Market ’, she and her co-workers discover how they can bring energy and interest to a seemingly monotonous job.

The steadily-paced narrative succeeds in bringing out the essence masterfully. The book offers a four-ingredient list that teaches you how you can start loving the work you do, even if you can’t always do the work you love. We are shown how we can choose every day, the attitude we bring to work, how we can play at work, how it’s necessary for us to be present, mentally as well, for everyone around us and how we can constantly work towards creating someone’s day and making them feel special. The execution plans provided for each of the four ingredients provide an additional spark to our creativity for the actual implementation of the ideas.

And, the lessons provided are not just for office goers. The advice, originally intended for office-goers, eventually ends up acquiring a universal appeal. We all do some work. The book answers how we can enjoy the work we do, no matter what the work is.

Mary Jane’s journal entries help evoke our thoughts on how much we are enjoying our work or if it has ended up becoming a routine.

Written engagingly, it completely succeeds in being a non-preachy lesson on workplace positivity.

The book, which leaves you refreshed and enthusiastic with a spirit of trying something new at work, is great for weekend reading. Its short length and simple language are an added advantage for non-readaholics. It’s a must-read for people in leadership roles.

Be sure to read this book guaranteed to provide you with some enriching lessons. Let’s work towards transforming our work from a burden to our favourite form of play, for it’s just the perspective change that matters.

 For, Work made fun, indeed gets done!!

Happy reading!!

Thank You!!

 

Hello Dear Readers!!

It’s time to celebrate for A Readaholic’s Panorama completes a year today!!

I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all of you, my wonderful readers, for it could never have been possible without your love and support. Thanks a lot for taking out some of your precious time to read these blogs, your encouraging words are my greatest inspiration.

A year back, I started out as a nervous newbie at blogging. And since then, all of you, my dear readers, have been my greatest inspiration to continue writing. Sometimes, when the time gap between my blogs gets too long, there is always that nudge of, “When is your next blog coming up?”, that fuels me up, and makes me realize that there is someone who would like to read my work.

To all of you my dear readers, I would like to say a big Thank You!!

Towards many more ‘bookish talks’…..

Regards,

A Readaholic’s Panorama

Time Stops At Shamli And Other Stories by Ruskin Bond : Book Review

“All the same, I thought, I’d better not be too careless. It’s not for nothing that a crow’s IQ is way above that of all other birds. And it’s higher than a dog’s, I bet.”

The rains are back!! But this time, besides having hot chai and pakoras, let’s do something different. This rainy season, take some time out for yourself, sit out in your balcony while it’s raining, and read. With Time Stops at Shamli, gift yourself the subtle art of observation, the art of deriving happiness from the simplest of things and you’ll certainly start finding the ‘joy of small things’.

Welcome to Shamli, for time indeed stops here!!

Meet lost loves, lost teachers, or even lost uncles. Have a look at the world from a range of colours, discover ‘true beauty’, have some haunts, or view the world from the perspective of a crow!!

All brought to you in Bond’s inimitable style, his endearing observations, and musings.

Prepare yourself for a final goodbye, make new friends, discover the power of true love, take a look at a tree that saved lives, meet tigers, for there are loads of them around, and stand enthralled as trains emerge from the magical tunnel.

Besides the title story, there are twenty others, each covering a different facet of life. Discover lovable characters and be drawn to them for the stories are so gripping that you won’t be able to put the book down without finishing one. Bond’s style in all its simplicity, sensibility, and clarity is a pleasure to read.

His beautiful expressions capture the true essence of  India. Be ready to be entranced in the world that Bond paints right in front of our eyes with his illustrative words.

Rains bring with them, the best of the natural world. Coming back, this rainy season, let’s pause from our busy lives and notice the natural world all around springing and dancing around us, the twittering calls of nature, the melody of the rain pittering and pattering, and most of all, the rejuvenating aroma of the wet earth!!

Happy Reading!!

 

Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom: Book Review

“Tell you what. After I’m dead, you talk. And I’ll listen”

‘Tuesdays with Morrie’ is the most beautiful book I have ever read. The memoir beautifully captures the love and teachings involved in the relationship between a student and his mentor. It’s a treasure trove of loving counsel to which you can return again and again.

All of us have, at some point or the other, had a great teacher, with whom we connected, whose classes we absolutely loved, who had given us immensely important life lessons, and with whom, we had promised ourselves, we would never lose touch. Mitch too had his mentor, Morrie Schwartz, his sociology professor, whom he loved and who had taught him a lot of things. But like so many of us, Mitch too lost touch with his favourite professor. 16 years later, he gets back to his professor, but sadly now, Morrie has been diagnosed with ALS, a rare neurological terminal disease. So now, 16 years after, in the last days of Morrie’s life, the classes start again the subject being- “Meaning of Life”. 16 years back, Mitch had Morrie’s lectures on Tuesdays, and now too, they start meeting every Tuesday. Beautiful, isn’t it??

There are a lot of lessons to be learnt from ‘Tuesdays With Morrie’. It’s like having a chat with your mentor, your guru. We have Morrie talking with Mitch making him understand the true meaning of life, love, work, community, family, aging, forgiveness, and, finally death. We learn to live as if it is the last day, to enjoy every bit, to not run after things, rather love and enjoy what we have and most importantly, give love and attention to the people who really matter.

The most beautiful thing brought out in the book is the relationship between Morrie and his student Mitch. A professor who really loved his students, the way Morrie answers every question without Mitch even asking them, the way Morrie has a response ready for anything Mitch says, the way Morrie is determined that his student should never stray in his life, shows what a master teacher he was. Morrie’s optimism at his impending death, his graceful acceptance of his disease and of his death, are surprising, for, practically they are so difficult to accomplish. Morrie was a true teacher, he didn’t only preach, he was a living example of all his lessons.

The book isn’t very long but it is one to be cherished, to be enjoyed. Some of their conversations will make you smile, some might even bring tears to your eyes. It is indeed a befitting ode to a student- teacher relationship.

Once you finish reading this blog, be sure to do one thing. Share this with your mentor, tell them they are your “Morrie”. Thank them and most essentially, express your love and gratitude to them. Let this be a never ending saga of love, one between students and their teachers. Don’t wait, for life is too short my friends! Make sure your loved ones know you love them!! Go!!

The Murder Of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie: Book Review

"He pointed a dramatic forefinger.Everyone's head turned."

‘The Murder Of Roger Ackroyd’…sounds like a typical mystery read, doesn’t it? Well, well, if I say it is something quite out of bound the imagination of an ordinary mind, I hope I’m not giving any spoilers in there!!

Set entirely in King’s Abbot, a small ordinary village, the novel begins with the death of Ackroyd’s lover, and a few chapters later, Ackroyd is dead too but, the same village has been chosen by none other than our dear Hercule Poirot as his retirement place. With the case brought to him, Poirot gives retirement a pass and goes on the mystery’s scent.

Narrated by Dr.Sheppard, a friend of Ackroyd, the novel is beautifully planned, with the author even taking us through the “Who’s who in King’s Abbot”. A thing brought out differently in the book, is the relationship shared between Dr.Sheppard and his sister Caroline. Christie has beautifully managed to keep the focus on the murder yet give some time to the cute brother-sister duo.

Hercule Poirot, with his rather egg-shaped head, twinkling eyes, and wagging finger, with his moustaches and orderly style, is the star as always. From his esteemed opinion of himself, to him being “Papa Poirot” for someone who needs a bit of help confessing, the hot chocolate-loving detective is rather too cute to be one.

Laura Thompson’s introduction and concluding note provide many peppy facts about the book.

Christie’s style with its satire, its comic elements, and the beauty with which she uses figurative language to paint each character, and in turn, each scene, is something to be savoured.

‘And Then There Were None’, ‘The Murder on the Orient Express’ and now ‘The Murder of Roger Ackroyd’ (in order of the World’s Favourite Christies), Agatha Christie always manages to keep her readers hooked right from the start till the end. The solutions provided are always equally unexpected and enthralling. Not for once does Christie lose her charm!

As you reach to the story’s end, the ingenious revelation will leave you with no reaction except a baffled “Whaat!!”