Yay for the used book store!!!

I’m about half way through the books I had said I would read previously. It was really thanks to this amazing little used book store in Kutztown that I was able to buy many of these- I doubt if I would have bought them all a Barnes and noble- there are limits to my profligacy!

I started off with the Dark is rising Sequence by Susan Cooper. I actually read “The Dark is Rising” on Friday night (the 5th) at B&N. Then on Saturday morning I set off to Kutztown, down 222N. On the way I was distracted my an Amish shop selling pecan pies- it has been over 9 years since I had one, but still I remember the rich nutty taste. I had looked for it at Redner’s and at Tanner’s; for all that it was one of America’s Favourite Pies though, it was strangely elusive. But in the end, unexpectedly there it was, on the way to Kutztown.

Then there was a Flea Market. I don’t believe I’ve mentioned before my thrilling experiences a garage sales and Flea Markets. There was a garage sale that I went to many weeks ago when my mother was here. We got three comfortable solid wooden chars from there. The only problem was getting a pair of cushions for the large one which was an armchair, because we didn’t wasn’t to use someone else’s used cushions (for reasons I don’t want to go into detail here). Anyway, in the end the cushions were more expensive than all three chars put together. Still, I think of it as “A Good Deal”.

The first Flea Market I went to is about 2 hours from Reading, opposite an ashram. We’d gone to the Ashram actually, but ended up spending more time at the Flea Market, buying the most fascinating things. Cheap jewellery, old books, boxes a jewellery box like a small chest of drawers… The one on Kutztown road was much smaller though. And I got a rocking chair there – for $15!

Anyway –on to the bookstore – it’s this tiny cramped store, in the best tradition of second hand book stores. And I ended up buying about 10 books just because I could. You have to hunt though, among dusty shelves and in boxes and bins and squeeze through narrow spaces, and I felt like I never wanted to leave!

But I did in the end, loaded with last three from the Dark is Rising Sequence, “The Golden Compass” and “The Amber Spyglass” by Phillip Pullman, and sundry other novels.

The Dark is Rising can be read as just a kid’s story- the old-fashioned good vs. evil thing, except better written than most. I hadn’t realized that Over Sea, Under Stone was part of the series, now it’s the only one I haven’t read. You could be bothered by the almost inevitable feeling of the victory of the Light, like a Deux ex Machina, and the string of strange co-incidences that pave the path to victory, but the ending was just a little sad and very satisfactory. I do like the books though, the plot many not be great, but the characters are wonderfully fleshed out, and the whole story feels a little misty- blurred at the edges, softened, like you’re viewing it through not entirely transparent glass. It doesn’t moralize though, and doesn’t pretend to be anything but a story, doesn’t strive to be an epic (and isn’t one by any means). It’s short, even with all the books taken together, and rather sweet.

Phillip Pullman though- I had read only “The Amber Spyglass” before. It’s the last one in the trilogy, and I read the first two only now. I liked the Amber Spyglass for its story, but taken out of context, saw it only as a somewhat over complicated idea- too many characters, too many ideas, all coming together in one book.

Taken as a whole though, you really get the sense of beginning and end, of a coming together of many great purposes, small and large acts to the grand denouement.

I do hope they don’t make a mess of this series like they did with Susan Cooper’s when they make them into movies.

Two Lives- All Done!

I’m finally DONE with Vikram Seth’s ‘Two Lives’. I think it’ll be a while before I can bring myself to pick up a biography again. The story was a bit slow, detailing the author’s Aunt and Uncle’s lives before, during, and after World War II, she a German Jew during the Holocaust, he a dentist working for the British Army. The parts pertaining to the war, and the recovery period after it was very compelling, but the long list of friends and relatives, the hot and cold of relationships was a bit wearying to go through.

Another book I recently read concerning the Holocaust was ‘Briar Rose’ by Jane Yolen. It was my cousin who gave me the book, and it was from her school library. I was rather surprised to hear that it had been in the children’s section. Though it was based on the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale, I thought it dealt with some ideas that are far too disturbing for a child to read. But then again ‘The Diary of Anne Frank’ is considered children’s literature by many, I read it when I was about eleven myself, and I don’t think this one is that much harder to read.

One point that made an impression on me in both Briar Rose and in ‘Two Lives’ , was that they both dealt with the fact that the trials and tribulations of the victims did not end with the war. Even afterwards they had to cope with massive bureaucracies, and just the unwillingness of people to admit that they had been wronged – because to admit that would mean admitting that they had to make reparation, perhaps giving up some of what they had gained, even if not directly, then indirectly through the oppression of others.

Now, the next book on my agenda is Schindler’s List. It’s another of those books I have always been meaning to read, but never got to reading.

One more book I quickly got through, over the weekend, was ‘The Prisoner of Zenda’. It was as good as I remembered, but compared to some of the other books I was reading, felt a bit soap-opera-esque or fairytale-ish, though its not really a happy ending…

That brings me to other books I want to re-read. The Hunchback of Notre-Dame for one, then Wuthering Heights. I only remember the vaguest details of the plots of these books. I read them when I was in sixth standard, in my room, with the door locked so that no one could see what I was actually doing when I was supposed to be studying.

Homesick for LA

It was when I was walking across the overbridge that connects the parking lot to my office building that I felt my breath catch as I was transported 3000 miles to the west. Though, it may sound strange that it was the cool breeze that brought it on, not the blazing summer sun that we have had for the past two months. But I have never been in LA through summer – last year I went back to India in June, and this year of course, I had left by February.

But yesterday the sky was blue, the sun was high, there was a nip in the air, and I could almost believe that the red brick of my office front was actually Powell library.

And then reality brought me crashing down, back to 9 hours of work ahead.

In my crystal Ball

From the books that I have finished, coming to those I want to read (or re-read) over the next few months- the first would be ‘Siddhartha’. I already have it, its been sitting on my bookshelf for a while now, just waiting to be picked up.

Then, I want to read all those books that are shortly going to become movies, starting with Phillippa Gregory’s ‘The Other Boelyn Girl’ and the others in her series about King Henry VIII wives etc. I’ve seen those books in Barnes and Noble many, many times, but been too lethargic to pick them up. Now, however, there is some urgency in me to read the book before seeing the movie.

So many books are being made into movies this fall- I’ll have to read Beowulf (though that was one that I have long wanted to), and re-read The Golden Compass (by Phillip Pullman) and The Dark is Rising (Susan Cooper).

I’m actually amazed that the Golden Compass is being made at all – with all its negative references to an evil church (in a parallel universe to be fair) – though apparently it did run into some controversy over that here http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/his_dark_materials_the_golden_compass/news/1664784/

But given the popularity of turning books into movies, I’m surprised that one author who hasn’t been made it on the silver screen is Georgette Heyer (except for a version of Arabella and a spoof of The Reluctant Widow)- ‘The Masqueraders’ would be perfect on screen, so would ‘These Old Shades’ (they could even do a trilogy with ‘The Devil’s Cub’ and ‘The Infamous Army’– that seems like the norm these days) , or ‘Friday’s Child’ or ‘The Grand Sophy or…. And I could keep going. Just a matter of time I guess!

Fiascos in Flying

I commented just yesterday on Ash’s blog that I sympathized with her troubles while flying- and was reminded of the entire hullaboo that I have come to associate with flying over the last couple of years.

I remember my first flight quite well actually. I was eight and we were flying from Madras to Singapore on Singapore Airlines. Here, I should make the point that Singapore Airlines was and continues to be the airlines with the best service. The flight was, the food was good(I didn’t understand until years later why airline food was so reviled), they gave us goody bags for kids(to keep them occupied) with this plastic toy with holes into which you could loop colorful thread (I still have it!). I think that early experience is why, though I know that optimism is the certain path to disappointment, I still look forward to a flight.

There were other memorable flights – there was the flight on a tiny plane with about a dozen passengers, which had engine trouble(and excellent sandwiches) and landed in Chandigarh when in was to go to Shimla (or something like that). I think I should have been more concerned than I was, sitting on that flight, but there were magnificent views as we flew along the foothills of the Himalayas, and that distracted me somewhat (what a good thing I was not in the cockpit!).

Its not just the security procedures that are a pain these days – I can live with that- I understand its necessary, maybe its paranoid, maybe long lines are a pain, whatever- that’s Ok. I can live with the ‘only 23 kg’s’ thing that airlines have – I don’t really want to carry heavy suitcases myself.No, what really, really annoys me is the actual flight itself. Long gone are the days when a 7:30 flight actually meant a 7:30 flight. These days you’re lucky if you leave before. No more food on flights – peanuts if you’re lucky. Either pack food from home – or pay a small ransom and buy something to eat at the airport. It's most annoying with drinks. You can’t bring liquids through security and what costs $1.25 one side of the X-ray machine, costs $2.50 on the nother! And its not like the Air Hostesses ( Oh ok – Stewardesses or Stewards) actually answer when you when you press the little light, and bring you the drink you want when you’re thirsty… )

There was the flight from Bombay to New York through London- that was about 9 years ago. I still remember being awed by the number of shops at Heathrow. I watched Jerry Maguire three times over that trip- and never tired of it. Is it just me or is the quality of movies they show on board also deteriorating? (or is it that the movies themselves are deteriorating?) It used to be prospective Oscar winners, fresh as they were running in theatres- no more – now we get six month old flops that you couldn’t pay me to see… maybe they’re encouraging people to sleep on flights? That was also one of the first flights of the Boeing 767 (I think that’s the right number anyway). Huge plane – much more legroom that you get these days (no I haven’t grown any taller – trust me on that!).

Its not just the security procedures that are a pain these days – I can live with that- I understand its necessary, maybe its paranoid, maybe long lines are a pain, whatever- that’s Ok. I can live with the ‘only 23 kg’s’ thing that airlines have – I don’t really want to carry heavy suitcases myself.

No, what really, really annoys me is the actual flight itself. Long gone are the days when a 7:30 flight actually meant a 7:30 flight. These days you’re lucky if you leave before 12. No more food on flights – peanuts if you’re lucky. Either pack food from home – or pay a small ransom and buy something to eat at the airport. Its most annoying with drinks. You can’t bring liquids through security and what costs $1.25 one side of the X-ray machine, costs $2.50 on the other! And its not like the Air Hostesses ( Oh ok – Stewardesses or Stewards) actually answer when you when you press the little light, and bring you the drink you want when you’re thirsty…

And connecting flights – I hope whoever invented that nightmare is burning away in some inner circle of Hell, because Hell is what I feel I go through rushing from one flight to catch another! Imagine that you have 45 minutes between the landing of one flight and the take – off of the next. And of course the first flight is half an hour late. And then the connecting flight is at the nest terminal and you have to catch the Skytrain/ Shuttle/ Just run as fast as you can and hope your luggage also makes it.

I was on supposed to go on this flight from LA to Philly on Continental a couple of months ago. That flight was cancelled(after we got to the airport) and we were re-booked on American Airlines. Of course our luggage got lost. We talked to customer representatives for a week, getting conflicting answers from “Oh, we have it right here – we’ll send it right away!” to “We have no idea. We have no record of such a piece” and I was about ready to give up- or go mad – when an amazingly kind and responsible representative actually tracked the piece down and had it sent to us, finally ending the nightmare.


And connecting flights – I hope whoever invented that nightmare is burning away in some inner circle of Hell, because Hell is what I feel I go through rushing from one flight to catch another! Imagine that you have 45 minutes between the landing of one flight and the take – off of the next. And of course the first flight is half an hour late. And then the connecting flight is at the nest terminal and you have to catch the Skytrain/ Shuttle/Just run as fast as you can and hope your luggage also makes it.

I was on supposed to go on this flight from LA to Philly on Continental a couple of months ago. That flight was cancelled(after we got to the airport) and we were re-booked on American Airlines. Of course our luggage got lost. We talked to customer representatives for a week, getting conflicting answers from “Oh, we have it right here – we’ll send it right away!” to “We have no idea. We have no record of such a piece” and I was about ready to give up- or go mad – when an amazingly kind and responsible representative actually tracked the piece down and had it sent to us, finally ending the nightmare.

Maybe I’m just uninterested in the real lives of real people, but I’m just finding ‘Two Lives’ by Vikram Seth really hard to finish- 200 pages down (over the last month) and 250 (or more) to go. It’s a really good book though, a little slow, but nicely written (dub – like I said real people – not heroes endowed with magical or supernatural powers), but parts of it are very nicely written. His fondness for his subjects clearly comes through, and his unwillingness of pry too far into their lives (this far and no further) which leaves you with something to ponder when all is done. (I like that in a book – if it ends all roundly and satisfactorily, with no spaces in between, how boring! The best stories are the ones that have you day-dreaming, about all those unmentioned thoughts, those unspoken words, that make you author, a co-creator of the universe.)

But in the middle of reading the above book, I got swept away by a real page turner. It was my sister who sent me ‘The Kite Runner’ by Khalid Hosseini, and since then, it has been passed around the family. That was an absolutely heart-wrenching book. The characters are painfully real- their flaws so believable, as is their need to rise above them. It was so hard to read, and so hard to put away. Then of course I had to go on and read the next book by the author – ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’. Not as good as the first, (you’d think I’d like it better, being about the plight of women and all), still is was an excellent book. Bittersweet satisfying ending and all.

I had read Stardust last Winter actually, during a sort of read many, many Neil Gaiman’s and Terry Pratchett’s as possible thing I was going through. It started with Good Omens. Have I told you what an incredibly funny book that is? Well, it is an incredibly funny book. Nice (and accurate? (you’ll have to read it to get that inside joke)), light, without being stupid, happy ending (or is it?). Talks on a sequel, talks of a movie… nothing seems to be happening…

Still back to Stardust- it was a very good book, which was why I was so surprised that it became such a good movie (so young and yet so cynical !) Of course they messed with the story a bit, as I complained through those scenes to my long-suffering cousin, still even that didn’t make a hash of it. I’d like to see ‘Neverwhere’ come out as a movie too. I never really got ‘American Gods’ though , or ‘Anansi Boys’.

And I must make a mention here of Enchantment(seems like an appropriate place to mention this book), not quite sure when I read it, though definitely in the past one year, it’s a modern Sleeping Beauty by Orson Scott Card ( ‘Ender’s Game’) . Was V.V. Good! Remember being surprised, didn’t expect to like it (my mistake, all his stuff is generally at least readable), but I did anyway.

Now on to Stephanie Mayer’s New Moon , Twilight , Eclipse trilogy about Vampires, Werewolves and the humans in between. Actually just one human, who (wouldn’t you know it)has one of each in love with her... aaah what angst. Its actually kind of addictive – like Ice cream, that you know isn’t going to do anything for you, but you can’t resist anyway. Lots of general teen angst, sappiness, tall dark (and blonde – whatever you taste, it will be catered to) handsome, brooding heroes.

And… that’s all folks! ( Looney Tunes song plays)

On the Deathly Hallows

Let me start by giving a brief (maybe 100 words, maybe 200)... critique of HP & Deathly Hallows. Long gone are the days when people had to beg me to write about anything but HP... this commentry is quite reluctantly written. Certainly I am guilty of waiting breathlessly, for the last book to arrive at my doorstep, delivered frm Amazon.com by USPS - I didn't lose my head enough to think it was worth losing a night's sleep over, to go and pick it up at midnight from the nearest Barnes and Noble. I have my priorities straight. Nothing gets between me and my beauty rest!

I had however, avidly trolled the web for spoilers in the days that preceded the release, and while I didn't read any complete versions, I did read one epilogue that I scornfully dismissed as deliriously hopeful fan fiction.

And then came the book and alas, the revelation that the epilogue that I had read was in fact, the 'Real Thing'.

The shock! The disillusionment!All the other shortcomings of the book could have been forgiven, if not for that cavity-inducing, saccharine epilogue(it was supposed to be 'poetic'!?).

I could have overlooked the fact that the arch-villain had been turned from a tiger into a pussy-cat with his teeth pulled and claws clipped. The hero equipped with some sort of deux-ex-machina-esque power that ensured that he never could fail.

The book was far longer than it sould have been; there as so much that could have been trimmed and prunes, and one gets the feeling that there sould have been so much there, that wasn't- like whole explanations had been chopped off, and unnecessary bits of chatter added.

Some parts of the book read like copies of books we have already read before - the Sword in the pool - King Arthur anyone? And Harry going to his death accompanied by the spirits of those who loved him- Narnia, 'Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe' - though there is another myth on which both are based.

Those were two best scenes in the book though. I loved the scene where Ron came back(being a Ron fan)- though I was really annoyed with the way he left, and the one in which Harry gives himself up was amazingly moving.


Oddly enough I am satisfied with the explanation for Snape's defection. Not so much that I believe in the power of his love for Lily, but the way Dumbledore manipulated him to make him protect Harry.

And I love the way Dumbledore has been humanized, less Godlike, although I don't think it means Harry is a better wizard really.Not just the weight of age, or lack thereof, but somehow you don't see that strength in Harry, of being tempered by overcoming his greatest weaknesses and fears.Harry never really seems to have doubted himself or the ultimate success of his cause. He has never known the depth of betrayal, guilt, maybe hopelessness that Dumbledore did, I think, and still risen above all that. It reminded me of what Dumbledore said in book 1 about Neville, and how it took a greater courage to stand up to ones friends that to ones enemies.

So much for my 200 words, this has taken longer than I expected, and if I don't stop know, I probably won't until every bit of the book has been dissected.

PS. While I pity the poor child saddled with the name, I thought Albus Severus was actually quite sweet. It seems that Harry had in the end become the bigger man and forgiven Snape for his attitude, and recognized his contributions, and the fact that a man may e mean without being evil incarnate.

Harry Potter movie 5 Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter month at last! It seems like I'm googling for nothing but Harry Potter speculations these days. Thankfully, the movie came by and took the edge off my anticipation. Considering that it was my least favorite of the books, I'm stunned to find myself saying that its probably my favorite movie. Umbridge and Luna were amazing, the trio, not half bad, Bellatrix and Lucius were madly and suavely respectively, evil. And Sirius' deat was very well done.

A little disappointed with all the stuf that seems to have been just glossed over. Not just Quidditch - after all we're going into a war here - children's games can well be sacrificed - but the prophecy! After all, at least as far as I am concerned, there was no point to the 5th book, but to provied a sort of cushioning for the grand deneoument which was Hary finding out about the prophecy - here it was all cushion and a half a minute -and that's a generous estimate - where we find out why exactly Voldemort went after Harry in the first place - and not very clearly either. I mean, if anyone watches the movie without reading the book, they'll probably go "Huh, where did he jump to that conclusion from?" Anyway, if you have read the book, it brings out all the important parts to life very nicely.

Now, though I have to go and tensely crawl the Net for scraps on the final book.

7/7/07

Today's supposed to be a lucky day- for gamblers, weddings, and who knows what else- the world as a whole if you consider the Live Earth concerts. I'm hoping it'll prove lucky as far as my continued blogging is concerned as well. I've made my own pledge - to replace my lights with energy efficient ones, switch off all appliances when I'm not using them. (Good for my electric bill too) Ironically, I was probably more energy efficient upto a couple of weeks ago when I was going to and from work by bus everyday- before I got my car. Still, I'm below the national average as far as Carbon emissions go- working on going lower though - next step buy local produce? Easier said than done - as much as I love farmer's markets (I blogged sometime ago on one of my favorite ones ) - now that I'm working, its not easy to go to ones on weekdays- also lack of Indian spices and other veggies :P. Actually did go a small local produce place recently. Bought a cabbage the size of a small planet there. Probably not going to be consumed another two weeks.

The Working Girl

At long last I've left my life of liesure ( please don't tell me grad life is anything but) and started working (alas!). Moved to Philadelphia where I was preceded by an ominous snowstorm- I refused to take the hint and came anyway. Found the place deep in six inches of snow , freezing the skin of my nose!

Already missing LA - warm sun and light breeze, snow is exciting the first couple of times you look at it, it gets old real fast! I'm beginning to regret all my initial ethusiasm at a white winter. To quote some famous and wise guy ( or maybe just a wiseguy) The Worst thing that could happen is that your greatest desires may be fulfilled. That unfortunately is all too true. Still I'm told that all this is only for another manth (at the most), then Spring will be in the Air, flowers, green grass... warm sun.... Fortunately the groundhog did not see its own shadow this year, so we're spared the additional six weeks of winter.