BOOKATHON 2013, 3/3: CROSSWORD

Today we have for you a crossword based on books. Try your luck and you may end up winning the Bookathon since the points on offer today are 20,16 & 12 for the top three!

Submit your answers at,

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Wk2xYzmhXvGzE93tYj6SvuJWkBMWFZq6c4nraLuAQ8k/viewform

BOOKATHON 2013, 2/3: PICTOGRAMS & MORE

A pictogram is a graphic symbol that represents an idea or a concept. The pictograms we have for you today all lead to names of famous books. Have a look at the examples below before you tackle the quiz,

Death on the Nile

A Midsummer Night's Dream

First 5 correct entries will get 12, 8, 6, 4 and 2 points.

Submit your answers here,

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1BJXOnKm2uUgWrCQqGY8YkmVALj4XPK08QOWtqltFynE/viewform

1. What is the name of this classic science-fiction book represented below?

2. What is the name of this epic poem?

3. This motto comes from a famous book about three inseparable friends. Name the book.

4. What is the name of this fantasy novel?

5. What is the name of this Pulitzer winning book?

Bookathon 2013, 1/3: Literary Character Quiz 

“It is our choices Harry, which show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”

- Albus Dumbledore

There are some characters that stay with us long after we’ve finished the books- who can forget the ambitious Pip or the lovable Joe Gargery, the passionate Heathcliff, the honourable Atticus Finch, the carefree Holly Golightly, the suave James Bond or the twisted Fagin.

Today’s quiz is based on some famous literary characters. Let’s see how many you get right!

First 5 correct entries will get 12, 8, 6, 4 and 2 points. The top 2 after 3 days will win!

Submit your answers here,

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1NwwsN35iSKKSYlXEU3cHUFGyfGbJ46pE0WAhSPuCVqw/viewform

1. She is a goddess, a thief and a queen. Evil doers have a name for her:  the weather witch.   

Clue: An Oscar winning actress played her in the movie.

2.  A savage on an island who became a victim of colonial injustice. His parents: A witch and the Devil.

3.  He was a famous jet setting fellow who travelled around the world. His tale inspired one of the greatest  comic characters of all time. Clue: All it needs is a dog to complete the picture.

4. This character is based on the author’s quick-tempered chemistry teacher who had long hair and a gloomy, dismal laboratory.

5. Who’s business card could this be?

His character was inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Think superhero comics.

Bookathon 2013, 1/3: Treasure Hunt

“Not all treasure‘s silver and gold, mate.”
- Jack Sparrow, Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl

Day 1, First Clue: To find the treasure you need the instrument to show you the way,

                                 But, beware,

                                 It will cost you a lot and require plenty of care!

Calling all Indiana Jones’ of the batch!

The first clue would lead you to a book at Bookrack where another clue would be waiting for you. Follow the clues to reach the final book and claim your treasure!

All clues would be related to only the names of the books (so non-readers needn't worry!). Apart from the clue above there would be four more clues to take you to the treasure. 

All you need to do is put on your thinking cap and solve the clues!

Bookrack will remain open from 7:45 to 9 pm for all the treasure hunters, so hurry and find the clues!

First 5 correct entries will get 12, 8, 6, 4 and 2 points.

Submit your answer(the name of the final book) here,

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/13YCrrcSa-maRaBU0y3flmeJn8lqHXISJFgj-_yJ5kVY/viewform

Bookathon 2 is here!

Always fantasized of being a detective? 

Like solving clues and quizzes?

Can you be the literary Sherlock or Nancy Drew ? 

Try to solve the quizzes and treasure hunt in Bookathon 2 and win exciting prizes!

Starts Tomorrow!

Jurassic Park

From Amazon.com:

"Unless your species evolved sometime after 1993 when Jurassic Park hit theaters, you're no doubt familiar with this dinosaur-bites-man disaster tale set on an island theme park gone terribly wrong. But if Speilberg's amped-up CGI creation left you longing for more scientific background and ... well, character development, check out the original Michael Crichton novel. Although not his best book (get ahold of sci-fi classic The Andromeda Strain for that), Jurassic Park fills out the film version's kinetic story line with additional scenes, dialogue, and explanations while still maintaining Crichton's trademark thrills-'n'-chills pacing. As ever, the book really is better than the movie. "

Come and read this thriller available at Bookrack!

Books for 2013

Neuromancer by William Gibson: Matrix, cyberspace ... common words right? Well this is the book which is credited for first using/ inventing these terms way back in the 80s. Neuromancer was a path breaking work and it kind of invented the cyber punk genre. So when you see the film Matrix you know who was the guy who thought it all first! The book is the story of Case, a 'cyber jockey' who must infiltrate the Cyber Matrix (read the book to know more!!) to carry out a heist. Set in a dystopic future and full of wildly imaginative scenarios the book is a must read for anyone slightly interested in science fiction and technology. The book is an experience by itself and a perfect start for the New Year.

Dongri to Dubai by S Husain Zaidi: This book is about the growth of Mumbai mafia and Dawood Ibrahim. It contains fascinating accounts of gang formation, mafia operations and the clashes between the gangs. An easy and fascinating read, this is a story about a world not at all known.

The Calcutta Chromosome by Amitav Ghosh: From Amazon.com: "From Victorian lndia to near-future New York, The Calcutta Chromosome takes readers on a wondrous journey through time as a computer programmer trapped in a mind-numbing job hits upon a curious item that will forever change his life. When Antar discovers the battered I.D. card of a long-lost acquaintance, he is suddenly drawn into a spellbinding adventure across centuries and around the globe, into the strange life of L. Murugan, a man obsessed with the medical history of malaria, and into a magnificently complex world where conspiracy hangs in the air like mosquitoes on a summer night."

Talkative Man by RK Narayan: Bookrack is fortunate to possess a near complete Malgudi collection. Exuding Indianess in every page, these magical books transport the readers to a quaint Indian town and their storylines are something any Indian would really appreciate. Take for example the book The Talkative Man. The Talkative Man is a journalist in Malgudi who likes spreading gossip around the town. Then a foreigner arrives, stays in the house of Talkative Man and the idyll of the town is disturbed...

Odessa File by Frederick Forsyth: ODESSA may or may not have been a real organisation whose purpose was to establish and facilitate secret escape routes after WW 2 to allow SS members avoid capture and prosecution for war crimes. Forsyth in his typically brilliant way melds fact with fiction and weaves a gripping yet disturbing saga about a reporter attempting to discover the location of a former SS concentration camp commander. Widely considered to be a modern classic the book keeps your attention till the end and is a must read for any book buff.

Theme Quiz 5/5 - The Final One

As always the top 5 get 12, 8, 6, 4 and 2 points. This is the last quiz so make it count! Fill in your answers at:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dHRsbFpoVHduME5LOHUzOTNCRzk5cWc6MQ#gid=0

Identify the novel from its first line:

1. "It was a dark and stormy night"

2. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times"

3. "Who is John Galt? "

4. "The village of Holcomb stands on the high wheat plains of western Kansas, a lonesome area that other Kansans call "out there.""

5. "When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow."

Bookathon Theme 4/5 - Crossword

Today we have for you a Crossword .. Not only does the fastest finisher get a special prize but the points on offer are 20, 16 and 12 (for the top 3 finishers). Hope you have fun doing this! Fill in your answers at:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dEk3RzFhVW1XcjAtMW5mZDdGSUZ4U3c6MQ#gid=0

Theme Quiz 3/5

We are back after a gap of 3 days. Today we bring to you plot lines. All you need to do is guess the book we are they referring to! Fill in your responses:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFpQZEdkMXdrbFdPQmU5ZTBYOGJwdmc6MQ#gid=0

1. This classic traces the life story of a poor orphan boy who gets a sudden windfall of fortune and goes off to the big city only to find later that all his hopes were misplaced. The book is famous for its unique characters ranging from an eccentric old lady and an escaped convict to a heartless young girl and a lovable brother-in-law.

2. A young Indian boy whose father owns a zoo, survives the sinking of a ship and is trapped on a lifeboat with a tiger, and from before and while on the lifeboat, explores issues of spirituality.

3. A doctor turns scientist after losing his wife to a rare form of cancer. His life falls apart when he discovers that the same form of non hereditary cancer affects his daughter as well. The scientist has to fight against many other people along with cancer to save his dear daughter’s life.

4. This could be a tweet from a character of this book: Found this awesome girl but it all ended in Room 101 :(

5. This could be a tweet from a character of this book: The world outside our village is quite pretty, if only this damned ring wasn't around my neck ...

Fun Facts on Authors

Charles Dickens :
His most famous story, A Christmas Carol, became more popular than his other classics, such as Oliver Twist, though it received less attention from literary critics than some of the other Dickens’s novels. Dickens, at age 31, wrote the short novel in 6 weeks and rushed it to be published before Christmas. The book was out December 19, 1843—the same year that the first Christmas card on record was sent. A Christmas Carol was Dickens’s first unserialized work. Most of the characters were based on people he knew personally, including Ebenezer Scrooge—based on Ebenezer Scroggie, a counselor at Edinburgh. Within its first year of publication, A Christmas Carol sold 15,000 copies and inspired the production of about 10 stage dramas.

Jane Austen:
July 1814, when Sir Walter Scott’s first novel Waverly was published, Jane Austen was a bit jealous. She wrote the following in a letter to her niece.
“Walter Scott has no business to write novels, especially good ones.—It is not fair.—He has fame and profit enough as a poet, and should not be taking the bread out of other people’s mouths.—I do not like him, and do not mean to like Waverly if I can help it—but fear I must.”
Ironically, today Jane Austen is a much more popular author than her contemporary Sir Walter Scott.

John Keats:
John Keats was only about 5 feet tall—nevertheless, by the time he died at age 24, he was a literary giant, surpassing any other 24-year old English writer. We can only wonder if Keats were to live to be an old man if his popularity today would exceed that of Shakespeare.

John Milton:
John Milton composed the greatest epic in the English language Paradise Lost after he was blind (between 1658 and 1664). He claimed that he received nightly divine inspiration, and during the day he composed his epic. Paradise Lost is packed with biblical and mythological allusions—attesting to Milton’s vast knowledge and incredible memory.

J.K.Rowling:
Harry Potter sold about 400 million copies worldwide and has been translated into over 65 languages.
Though before the book's popularity, Joanne Rowling had some difficulty finding a publisher that believed her book could amount to anything. Finally Bloomsburry Press agreed to publish the first edition of Harry Potter, but only printed 500 copies for the first edition for fear of them not selling. Also the publisher requested that the author would not use her first name (Joanne) but rather her initials to make it less obvious that the author is a woman assuming that the book's main audience young boys would not want to read a wizard book written by a woman. Since Joanne Rowling did not have a middle name, she chose K for Kathleen.

Leo Tolstoy:

  "Seize the moments of happiness, love and be loved! That is the only reality in the world, all else is folly"
· Tolstoy was very sceptical about his writing jobs, including "War and Peace". In 1871 he sent a letter to a friend: "I am so happy.. that I won't right trifles like "War and Peace" any more!
· He always wore a miniature portrait of JJ Rousseau instead of a cross on his neck
· Leo Tolstoy's wife had to copy out War and Peace seven times by hand because typewriters and printers didn't exist yet

Bookathon 2012 - Theme Quiz 2/5

Post your answers here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dDlxUjRidzNRbi1KRlJBbjM3WHRBYlE6MQ#gid=0

We will publish the leaderboard after this quiz. The Bookathon takes a break for 3 days now. Questions on Theme 3 will be put up on Tuesday (21st August).

1. Connect:

 2. This irritating cartoon strip (well that is in our opinion!) was a part of one of the more innovative promotional campaigns in India. Appearing prominently in a newspaper much before the release of the movie, it generally featured 2 unnamed protagonists discussing inane things with one of the 2 being the butt of the joke in each strip. Name this strip.

3. Connect:

4. This comic’s title (as well as the name of the main character) is derived from the nickname given to the author by his sons. The comic is set in an unnamed coastal village in Norway and takes place in the middle ages. The main character regularly raids England and sometimes France. One continuing gag involves his extremely poor personal hygiene; for example, his annual bath is a time of national merriment and celebrations. For a brief time, the strip even had its own brand of sponsored soda. It is generally recalled as one of the funniest flops of the marketing industry. Name the comic.

5. Who is the uncle of the kids shown below:

Asterix - 9 Quick Facts

1. Asterix the Gaul was called Asterix by his creator Albert Uderzo so he would appear at the start of an encyclopaedia of comics. Some 325 million copies of the 33 Asterix comic albums have been sold worldwide, with translations into languages as diverse as Urdu, Arabic and even Latin.

2. The first Asterix adventure, Asterix the Gaul, appeared in a magazine called Pilote and from then on, 32 other official Asterix comics have been published. Rene Goscinny wrote the books while Albert Uderzo illustrated them until the death of Goscinny aged 51. Uderzo then carried on the series. As well as the comic books, there have been many spin-offs including movie books, game books, Dogmatix books etc. Asterix is so popular, he even has his own theme park and movies.

3. Albert Uderzo is colour blind. He gets professionals to colour his drawings which is why some character's hair keeps changing etc. His eye has since improved and he has coloured some of the later books covers. He was born with two extra fingers which were surgically removed when he was still very young.

4. The first French satellite which was launched in 1965 was named Asterix-1 in honour of Asterix.

5. During the campaign for Paris to host the 1992 Summer Olympics Asterix appeared in many posters over the Eiffel Tower.

6. Asterix and Obelix appeared on the cover of Time Magazine for a special edition on France.

7. The animated series Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears also concerns an oppressed group in possession of a magic potion capable of conferring superhuman strength and agility.

8. The 2006 FIFA World Cup final between France and Italy was depicted as a fight between Roman legions and Gaul villagers in newspapers.

9. Humour in Asterix is typically French, often centering on puns, caricatures, and tongue-in-cheek stereotypes of contemporary European nations and French regions. Much of the humour in the initial Asterix books was French-specific, which delayed the translation of the book into other languages due to the risk of losing the native essence of the story.

Source: http://www.oxfordbookstore.com/dotcom/oxford/archives/in_our_good_books/asterix_fun_facts.htm

The Hunger Games - A Review

Set in a dystopian country ruled by the oppressive Capitol, this is the story of Katniss Everdeen, a young girl from one of the 12 Districts, and the 'Hunger Games'. The Hunger Games are an annual event started by the Capitol to remind the Districts that they are at its mercy. One young boy and girl are chosen from each district, and made to fight to the death until only one survives. The story takes us through a variety of emotions, hope, disappointment, sorrow, joy, anguish, love, desperation and determination. The trials that Katniss faces and the author's realistic depiction of the Capitol's politics and dependence on the Games make it an unusual story worth reading. To quote the Guardian's review, " It's a great book and Suzanne Collins makes it hard to put down". 

Review by Anupam Francis (PGP 2012 - 2014)

Bookathon 2012 - Theme Quiz 1/5

We have 5 questions on 5 different genres. Submit your answers at:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dHZBaThPa3VXZFlOblgxQ0xKSkRycEE6MQ#gid=0

Everyday the first 5 correct entries will get 12, 8, 6, 4 and 2 points. The top 2 after 5 days will win!

1. Connect these pictures to a popular book series (just one name will do!).

 

2.  If you were carrying the map (shown below) where would you be?

3. Raju, A Dancer, Famine, Fast, Redemption ..  Elements of which famous Indian novel also made into a successful film?

4. This author added the prefix 'De' to his name to sound more aristocratic. His most famous novel was actually titled: The Life and Strange Surprizing ________________, of York, Mariner ..... Who are we talking about?

5. Connect to an author (hint: think non-fiction).

 

Love Story - A Review

Have you ever heard of a movie being adapted into a novel...it’s usually the other way round isn’t it, well, not this time. ‘Love Story’ was originally written by ‘Erich Segal’ as a screenplay for a movie and then adapted into a novel at the request of the producers to be released on Valentine’s Day 1970! 

Since then it has been translated into 30 languages and is one of the most loved love stories.

The book has one of the best opening lines, guaranteed to hook you-

"What can you say about a twenty-five-year-old girl who died? That she was beautiful. And Brilliant. That she loved Mozart and Bach. And the Beatles. And me." 

Love Story is about a young couple, very different from each other from very different backgrounds, yet who are drawn to each other and despite all odds their love brings them together. The book tracks their lives from the time they meet in college, get married, and are just beginning their lives together when tragedy strikes. Then begins their struggle as things go from bad to worse yet their love keeps them together, finally culminating in a bitter-sweet ending.

Love Story is a beautiful, heart-rending romantic story which tracks the relationship between not only the two protagonists but also between them and their parents. 

Erich Segal has a brilliant style – which can be very funny and vey touching at the same time - he makes you feel so connected to the story that it becomes more of an experience than a reading.

The classic quote from the book sums up the essence of the story-

“Love means never having to say you’re sorry.”

(As unputdownable as it is, reading this book will also make you crave for its sequel, ‘Oliver’s Story’)

Review by Smita Singh (PGP 2012 - 2014)

Classic Literature at Bookrack

This post gives short reviews of some of the best pieces of class literature we have at Bookrack.

1. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote: You may have heard of the movie; this book is regarded as one of the original non-fiction novel. In 1959 the NY Times published an account of a murder of farmer and his family in Kansas. Capote was intrigued by this and went onto investigate with the help of his friend Harper Lee. The book is part thriller (exloring the crime in detail), examines the psyche of the killers and exlpores the effect of the crime on the community. Easy to read, this book (as one reivewer on Amazon puts it): "Capote's prose is mesmerizing. His descriptions of Holcomb and its inhabitants are vivid and lively. His research is impeccable, presented flawlessly, lushly, sweeping the reader away on waves of vibrant language.....it's really hard to stop reading about this unfortunate family and their motiveless, pathetic murderers. This book made me sad, it made me shiver; but I'm glad I read it."

2. Lord of the Flies by William Golding: At the outset this classic is about a bunch of boys stuck on an island trying to live out their life. Seeds of a thrilling adventure you would think? Not quite so .. The kids on the island set up a society and slowly degenerate into uncontrollable savages in absence of any adult supervision. the book explores the very psyche of humans and published after world war 2 it presents a chilling picture of the tendency of violence and cruelty that seems to be inherent in us right from our childhood. Included in the TIME's list of top 100 books this is a must read for any literature lover.

3. Vanity Fair by William Thackeray: Amazon puts it nicely: "No one is better equipped in the struggle for wealth and worldly success than the alluring and ruthless Becky Sharp, who defies her impoverished background to clamber up the class ladder. Her sentimental companion Amelia, however, longs only for caddish soldier George. As the two heroines make their way through the tawdry glamour of Regency society, battles—military and domestic—are fought, fortunes made and lost. The one steadfast and honourable figure in this corrupt world is Dobbin with his devotion to Amelia, bringing pathos and depth to Thackeray's gloriously satirical epic of love and social adventure."

4. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley: Mary Shelley wrote this novel in 1818 and she had started writing it when she was only 18 years old. Spending a cold wet summer with her future husband Percy Shelley in Switzerland, the conditions were ripe for Mary to write a novel inspired by the occult (there was a lot of interest in this topic in Europe at that time). From wikipedia: "Major critics have praised the "aesthetic and moral" relevance of the novel and in more recent years the novel has become a popular subject for psychoanalytic and feminist criticism. The novel today is generally considered to be a landmark work of romantic and gothic literature, as well as science fiction."

5. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad: This novella is like having your favourite dessert. Quick to eat but the pleasure is ah so good! From Amazon: "A masterpiece of twentieth-century writing, Heart of Darkness exposes the tenuous fabric that holds "civilization" together and the brutal horror at the center of European colonialism. Conrad's crowning achievement recounts Marlow's physical and psychological journey deep into the heart of the Belgian Congo in search of the mysterious trader Kurtz." The book builds up slowly and is a wonderful example of how an excellent author creates an atmosphere to complement what he is trying to communicate.

6. Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy: In our opinion this is probably one of the best novels on love and what it takes to win someone who has stolen your heart! It is the story of the fiery Bathsheba, the three men who fall her and how one of them finally get her after many twists. The characters are deeply sketched out, the descriptions of English countryside will transport you there itself and the ending will leave you feeling all warm and happy. What more could one want!

The Perry Mason Series - A Review

The ‘Perry Mason’ series by ‘Erle Stanley Gardener’ is a brilliant blend of courtroom drama and a whodunit mystery with elements of law, forensic medicine and science (remarkable in itself since forensic science was still in very nascent stages during the time when the series was published, 1930s to 70s).

The protagonist ‘Perry Mason’ is a defence attorney who loves working on challenging cases and tries to avoid mundane activities as far as possible, much to the chagrin of his devoted secretary ‘Della Street’. Most of his cases involve unusual clients in unusual circumstances, often with a murder somewhere which brings in his expert detective ‘Paul Drake’. Paul Drake is the good-old-fashioned detective in an era where there are no mobiles or any electronic gadgets, yet he delivers every time. The three of them work hard towards protecting their client and unveiling the real culprit while always trying to stay a pace ahead of the police. The stories usually culminate in a courtroom scene which gives the reader a great look at the working of the legal system and may even tempt some to take up law!

The trademark characteristic of the series is the brilliant cross-examination by ‘Perry Mason’ of the witnesses often providing comic relief and sometimes even revealing the true murderer!

The books will keep the reader at edge throughout as the plot twists and unfolds towards a jaw-dropping end. It’s a definite must-read for lovers of mysteries, whodunits or courtroom stories.

Review by Smita Singh (PGP 2012 - 2014)

Indian Fiction at Bookrack

This week we are suggesting titles from our Indian authors which in our opinion is a shining example of how to make a good collection :P. A few recommendations:

1. Stranger: Stories by Satyajit Ray: Satyajit Ray made great films. He also was an ad-maker, an artist (he has developed 2 fonts) and an author (Feluda stories). This book has short stories dealing with the supernatural and incidentally the last story in this collection was also made into Ray's last film 'Agantuk'

2. Ruskin Bond Minibus: If you have ever read Bond's short stories, take this to read more. If you have never then you are missing out on some real pleasurable stuff. This collection also has The Blue Umbrella, Susanna’s Seven Husbands which were made into films.

3. Fasting, Feasting by Anita Desai: Anita Desai is one of the most celebrated Indian author writing in english and this book, to quote from the Times Literary Supplement: "From the overpowering warmth of Indian culture to the cool center of the American family, it captures the physical -- and emotional -- fasting and feasting that define two distinct cultures"

4. Family Matters by Rohinton Mistry: Mistry you may have heard as the author whose book was banned on the behest of Aditya Thackeray by University of Mumbai. This book has the usual Mistry trappings: Parsis, Bombay, family troubles, deep humanity, bleakness and hope. An easy yet deep read, it leaves a lasting impression and to quote Sonia Chopra from Curled Up With a Good Book site "Family Matters triumphs because its characters are alive and because it captures the moods and conflicting emotions of three generations. This book further seals Mistry’s reputation of excellence and brilliance."

5. The Calcutta Chromosome by Amitav Ghosh: We are surprised no one has borrowed this gem of a book yet. The book is loosely based on the life and times of Sir Ronald Ross who achieved a breakthrough in malaria research in 1898. It was the recipient of the Arthur C. Clarke Award in 1997. You can read a good review here: http://diptakirti.blogspot.in/2012/01/mine-by-arnab-ray-review_28.html

6. The House of Blue Mangos by David Davidar: David Davidar was the head of Penguin India and a celebrated head who helped uncover many an Indian talent. This book was his first effort in writing. From the Amazon review: "Davidar's ambitious novel set in India relates many stories in one, each ineluctably merging into the other. We are shown three generations of an old family in the oceanside village of Chevathar. The patriarch Solomon strives to maintain equilibrium as caste struggles begin to create harsh conflict in the village, while his sons endure triumph and disaster as India inaugurates its battle for independence and his grandson, who may be the last of the line, undertakes his own bid for independence. All of these characters are drawn with a mercurial vividness, and Davidar has a Tolstoyan sense of the larger canvas--his epic covers the spectrum of heroes and rogues, clans and dynasties, the ugly and the beautiful."

7.  How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life by Kavya Vishwanath: Kavya was a high school student in USA when this book was published. It was seen as a nicely written chick-lit till the allegations of plagiarism surfaced. Subsequently the book was withdrawn and the case was actually quite messy. Nonetheless this is a nice breezy read and to quote someone on the Amazon site "The plot concerns an overachieving Indian girl whose dream of sailing into Harvard is derailed when the admissions officer tells her to stop studying so much and get a life, which she then tries clumsily to do."

8. The Pakistani Bride by Bapsi Sidhwa: Bapsi is a well known Pakistani author on whose book the film Earth was based. From Amazon: Zaitoon, an orphan, is adopted by Qasim, who has left the isolated hill town where he was born and made a home for the two of them in the glittering, decadent city of Lahore. As the years pass Qasim makes a fortune but grows increasingly nostalgic about his life in the mountains. Impulsively, he promises Zaitoon in marriage to a man of his tribe and the crux of the story is the clash in values of these 2 people and Zaitoon's bid to remain a free bird. From a review by Niranjan Iyer: "The Pakistani Bride is a very moving read. This book is clearly born of sincerity and passion. Sidhwa's compassion for the young Zaitoon single-handedly elevates the book into something approaching greatness."


9. RK Narayan Collection: We have 15 books by him! We will cover the great man in a separate post sometime later.

Library Info Series II

Last time we talked about accessing Harvard Business Review. This week we are posting the method for a very basic activity; knowing your account status and information about the books in the library itself.

1. Log on to the sarvam portal:
http://sarvam.iimb.ernet.in/
Username: Your mail id, eg. rameshk11
Password: Mail password

2. Go to the 'Library' tab and click on the 'Online Catalogue'

 3. Your account status will be visible. Use the 'Browse' tab to search for whatever you want and see if it is in the library.