On books

Lately I have been reading quite a number of books. Even during my trip to India, I managed to finish four books, Tuesdays with Morrie and Five People You Meet in Heaven both by Mitch Albom, The Innocent Man by John Grisham and How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got A Life by Kaavya Viswanathan.

The highly acclaimed Tuesdays with Morrie is a true story about Mitch Albom and his dying professor, how the professor, the young man's mentor remains to be his coach on life even till his last breath. It is a touching story and I highly recommend it.


After Tuesdays with Morrie, Mitch Albom came up with Five People You Meet in Heaven. This too is a lovely read highlighted by the author's simple writing style. The story is about a man who upon his death goes to heaven and meets five people who have had been unsuspectingly pivotal influence in his life.

My third read is the first non fiction by John Grisham. You've got to admit, Grisham's talent makes even a true story seem like a thriller and make the book so unputdownable. It is the story of a man who had been unjustly sentenced for murder.


I read the controversial Opal Mehta just coz my dad had a copy of it and for some reason kept it by my bedside for me to read. It is a typical story of a nerdy teenager who changes her lifestyle just so be 'cool' and fit with the hep girls in her high school. Even though the main plot is a common one specially in high school movies, but it has been written in an interesting and funny manner.

I have just completed A Life Less Ordinary by Baby Halder. Many of you might have heard or read about the inspiring story of Baby Halder. She is an icon of courage and determination who in spite of being a domestic worker has managed to write a book on her life which definitely is no less ordinary. I have a special admiration for her since I have met her personally. She is the housemaid of my brother's friend and I have stayed at their place a couple of times. In fact, my brother is also in the book. My brother first showed me the book when it was published in Bengali and Hindi. Even though it is a huge task for me to read in Hindi, I was ready to read it. But then he informed me that the English translation would be soon available. So I decided to wait coz I knew I would get the full impact of the story in English rather than in Hindi.

I am now reading The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai. As you all must be knowing, Kiran Desai is the daughter of the famous writer Anita Desai, whose story I remember was part of my ICSE curriculum. This book begins in Kalimpong, West Bengal which is very close to my hometown and is set during the Indian-Nepalese movement during the 80s in Kalimpong and Darjeeling area. I was then a child and still remember the horror stories we used to hear about young guys with guns looting and killing people. Every other day we used to hear about people being killed and heads being hung at gates, infusing strikes which left Sikkim crippled and cut off from the rest of India. I have finished about 1/4th of the book and though I like the story and all, I am not sure if I am enjoying her style.