Where should I start?

Many want to start reading English books, but they don’t know where to start. They try to read, push through two or three pages, get confused, and drop the mission. This is what happens most of the time. At least, it had happened with me, back in late 90s. My repeated attempts to read English books failed miserably. 

I used to get books issued from library, try reading it for 2-3 days, then return with a saddened heart. The process repeated for at least a dozen times. 

I failed to understand what the real problem with me was. 

Then one fine day (it had to be a fine day!!), one of my friends advised me to try Sidney Sheldon. I was considering him BIG and never had the courage to attempt his books. Without much hope, I issued his book THE OTHER SIDE OF MIDNIGHT (you guessed it right, sequel to MEMORIES OF MIDNIGHT). 

What can I say more? 

The book was simply, wow! It changed my reading habits. I got all the books of Sheldon issued back to back. 

It was as if Chicken Tandoori to a person, who was hungry for months!

From Sidney Sheldon, I moved on to Ken Follet, to Mario Puzo, to Arundhati Roy, to Vikram Seth, to Vikas Swarup, to John Grisham, to Paulo Coelho, to Jeffrey Archer, to VS Naipaul, to Orhan Pamuk, to Aravind Adiga, to Gillian Flynn, to Paula Hawkins....

and the journey continues.....

Hence, I will advice (rather, request) you to try Sidney Sheldon or his kind of thriller (presently, Tilly Bagshawe has copied his writing style). Those will be pacey and real entertainer. Once you are habituated with English books, you can read any book. And each book will nourish you in some or other way. 

So, don't hesitate. Just jump into it. 

Because, you have to enter the pool to learn swimming.

THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN – “THREE WOMEN, ONE STORY”

From “Breath becomes air” by Paul Kalanithi, I landed on “The Girl on the Train” by Paula Hawkins. It was a deliberate attempt to shed the melancholy that filled in me after reading the former. I felt that a thriller would do the trick.

I was not wrong, completely. 

“The girl on the train” is a psycho-thriller narrated through the eyes of three women; Rachel, Megan and Anna. Rachel is a daily commuter, who observes the life of Megan, through the windows her train, is the protagonist. However, Rachel and Megan are strangers to each other. Anna, who lives a few houses away from Megan, is wife of Rachel’s ex Tom. 

Rachel is an alcoholic and psycho, who imagine more things than she actually sees. Her character is described perfectly in the first chapter itself, wherein she finds a pair of discarded dresses beside railway track. 

Even she weaves a story out of that dirty bundle of cloth.  

Anna is afraid of Rachel. For that matter, Rachel had once attempted to abduct their daughter. Her appearance at their street scares her. Tom has a soft corner for his ex and he stops Anna from registering a complaint with police.

Rachel had named Megan and her husband, Scott, as Jess and Jason as she didn’t know their real names. She just saw them whilst passing through by morning train towards London, to her work place. It turns out to be her habit, to observe them, each time the train slows down at signals near their house. Rachel’s is a broken marriage (broken heart) and surprisingly, watching their love and caring from a distance has a soothing effect on her. 

The story takes a turn when Megan goes missing. 

The story of Jess and Jason was very different from what Rachel had imagined. A Part of her wanted to help Jason (Scott) to find his wife. Eventually, she also becomes the part of their life. 

The revelation that follows shocks her. Even one’s own eyes could be so deceptive!

To find out more, grab a copy of “The girl on the train.” 

Pros: A carefully crafted thrilling read. Once it sinks in, you will not keep the book down.

Cons: The narration felt monotonous initially. I felt that all the three female characters had same voice. And I had to turn to chapter heading to find out who is speaking. 

Rating: 4/5

Shine Syamaladevi

Which philosophy should one follow in life?

 

"One is never be satisfied with what you have." By this, one feel motivated to work hard and earn more. Buy luxuries, travel the world, stay in luxurious hotels etc. 

The Other philosophy is "be happy with what you have." If I'm happy with what I have, why should I work hard? Rather I should stay in peace!!

Tricky, isn’t it??

Of course, both cannot be followed simultaneously. To derive the right path, you need to define life first.

What is life?

It is definitely not breathing, eating, sleeping and dying one day. It has more meaning to it. If you follow the latter (being content with what you have), your life turns idle. A standstill. There is no growth. No moving forward. No change in routine. Nothing to look forward.

The only change you encounter would be the physical changes due to aging. 

Will you call it life? Definitely, not.

Let us consider the former part.

We must move forward in life. It is not about competing with one another and winning. It's about broadening our perspectives, seeing the world around, trying to instill the soul of the universe.

It's not about earning more money, but achieving a wealthy soul. The soul that understands the rhythm of the universe.

We may not understand, but the society, the world around, has performed their part in developing us into what we are today.

Would you like to leave the world with that debt in pocket?

You should not.

When the society has played their part in constructing us, we must also do something for them. Something that they would ever remember. Something that can have a positive effect. Something that would etch our name in the hearts of people. 

Therefore, you should never be content with what you have, but strive for excellence in whatever field you are. You should never compete with anyone. Competing with others is WRONG. 

You compete with your inner-self. And you would turn into a great achiever eventually. 

It is not about defeating others, but winning our soul.

It is not about earning more wealth, but putting that wealth for the right cause.  

It’s about living your LIFE.

Prologue - "THE RIBBON TRAP"

 
Murder is not a crime. How can it be? It is the best way to save
someone from the hell called earth. I am not doing any crime, the man thought staring at the couple on bed.

The room was chilled. They lay cuddled on the king-size
bed. A woollen sheet covered the lower portion of their body.
Above that, they were naked. His head was resting on her
perfectly carved bosom.

Pale streaks of light from the table lamp, kept at right
corner, spread across the room. That ensured participation of
all the senses in the game called sex. He had to wait for about
two hours outside, for their game to finish.

How peaceful is his world, the man, who entered the room
through the window, thought. Every pleasure of this world would
be at his doorstep in the blink of an eye.

He recognised the girl. Of course, he had seen many of
her movies. He admired her acting. More than that, her ease
in rendering any role entrusted was worth lauding. She was
always a perfectionist.

She must be the same in this field too. Perfect.

The man walked towards them. He felt for the revolver on
his waist. Yes, it’s there. He was there to kill the male. He could
do it without waking him up. But he was not ready to do that.
He wanted him to get up.

I want you to see me. Ask me who I am.

There was no movement about them. He must be savouring
the softness of her flesh. The man went closer. He pulled a chair
and sat down. He took out the revolver, a locally made one.

None of the guns made by me has ever failed. But there is no
guarantee. There are incidents where the barrel explodes and causes injury, sometimes death, to the user, the seller, an old bandit, had cautioned him.

‘Once only it will be used,’ he said to him. ‘Not more.’

‘Then there is no problem. I can guarantee that,’ the bandit said.

He lifted both his legs and kept it on top of the bed. He
remained in the position for about half an hour. The target was
in front of his eyes. Anytime, I can decide his fate. A cool breeze
passed through his heart.

It was the girl, who woke up first. She cried at once seeing
the stranger at the foot of the bed. Her voice echoed in the
silence around. She pushed the companion aside and jumped
down from the bed.

‘Sit there,’ he said, as she was about to run. She sat covering
her nakedness with both her hands. The hands shivered
uncontrollably. ‘I am not here to kill you.’

Her partner opened his eyes slowly. The stranger in their
room shocked him equally. He looked at the girl. Then turned
towards him.

‘Who are you?’ he asked grinding his teeth. ‘Who the hell?’

‘Chant Mrityunjaya mantra and pray for your peaceful
death,’ the assassin said pointing his revolver at him. The
actress closed her eyes tight afraid of the murder she was about
to witness.

‘Has he paid you?’ he asked her.

She did not respond. But opened her eyes and stared at the
man. She gulped. Nervous she was, sure that the man would
kill her too.

‘If not, take it from him now.’ He leaned back authoritatively.
‘Dead people don’t pay.’

WHEN BRETAH BECOMES AIR- “POETIC, POIGNANT, PAINFUL”

I picked up “When breath becomes air” by Paul Kalanithi with a heavy heart. Since I knew that reading one’s encounter with the only reality, death, would be neither easy nor entertaining. The realization that we all are mortal would be frightening to core. Except that we do not know that number of days we are left with. 

Then, Paul Kalanithi was not another man: he was a doctor, the one who saves lives. How it would be to turn a patient from a doctor. That also when he least expected it, when he is considered GOD by the ailing patients.

 It is nothing less than a thunderbolt from a clear blue sky.   

The book begins with a brief description of his childhood at Arizona. His keenness in understanding the essence of human existence since childhood. And his confusion in selecting the career ahead. A part of his soul wanted him to be writer, another part suggested him to be a doctor. Ultimately finalizing Neurosurgery as his path, his destiny.

And deciding to turn a writer at a later stage, once he becomes a successful neurosurgeon.

He never portrays himself as a super-human, who shrugged of the fear of death. But the image he draws is of a real human being, fragile, but fighting, strong, yet weak, determined, still faltering.  The book is the account of his dreams, his thoughts, and the pain he encountered whilst undergoing treatment for the unforgiving illness.

It will touch your heart, will make you cry, perhaps inwardly, and will scare even the strongest. I wanted to write more about the book, but am falling short of words. Then, no word can describe death, it can only be felt. 

“When breath becomes air” could only be the title of the book, I felt. Nothing else could have depicted the crux of the book. Helplessness of ever powerful human being, When breath, that contains life, turns to nothing, but lifeless, meaningless, air. 

Pros: Everything, from the prologue to the epilogue written by Lucy Kalanithi.  The heart-wrenching narration would move you; make your heart writhe in pain.

Cons: The repeated usage of medical terms, for which I had to look up at Google, interrupted the flow. 

Rating: 5/5