Last but not the least

Previous in the series: bound by pain, bonded by love.

9-12 of my twelve most loved novels.

The books I discuss today belong to different genre, and deal with myriad of emotions, aspects and individuals. But each a treat in itself.

The Hungry Tide, The Ultimate Gift, and Teddy.

> The Hungry Tide is a celebrated epic novel by Amitav Ghosh set in the backwater countryside of West Bengal. It travels with two diverse individuals headed for the same destination- Pia and Kanai who befriend each other, dealing with various prevalent and in-depth topics which plague that part of the world, like attacks by man-eating tigers, lives of the fishermen families, and conflicting opinions. Every character in it speak for themselves and every factor has been handled masterfully.

> The Ultimate Gift (also adapted into a movie) is a soft and simple coming-of-age tale narrated by the awe-inspiring author Jim Stovall, in which spoilt and good-for-nothing Jason Stevens, great-grand nephew of Red Stevens, upon the latter's death is forced to accept a year long challenge (according to his Will) in order to inherit a multi-million dollars worth property. He has to fulfill certain conditions set by the not-so-dear-departed for each month under the scrutiny of his lawyer, aimed at teaching him the value of various emotions and relationships like hardwork, love, dreams, friendship etc.

But will Red Stevens succeed in his aim is the real million-dollar question. It's simple approach, flawless storyline and amazing characters are what actually makes this book special for me.

> Teddy is the first of two part novel "Theodore" by the very talented upcoming author Sophie Bowns. E-released last month and presently available only in digital version, it takes us back to the days of kings and castles of victorian era England. What I love about it is it's simple and sincere language, and intense storyline.

It takes us through the life of two totally unconnected people Prince Theodore and a common girl Bonnie, as their go through life, deal similar losses and struggle to find their place in the world. The poetry versions, found in her blogsite, of some of the situations in the novel are beautiful.

I can't wait for the second part and I'm just so glad I know the author rather cordially. My wishes are with her.

Bound by pain, bonded by love

Previous in this series: 4-6 of my most loved novels.

7-9 of my twelve most loved novels.

The books I speak of here are full of life, innocence, brutality, pain and tragedy. But it is the courage and commitment of the protoganists to never lose hope, never give up on life, never bow down and go down or emerge fighting for right that wins our heart.

I speak of The Diary of a Young girl, Echoes, and The Kite runner here.

> The diary of a young girl, or better known as The Diary of Anne Frank is a first hand account of the terror of Nazi regime and life during the Second world war through the eyes of a 14 year old young jewish girl, Anne Frank. It is so full of innocence, candour and pain... it makes our heart bleed.

Co-incidentally I got to read this book when I was about the same age as her myself, in my high school. Maybe it was this which made connect with her so easily.

> Echoes by Danielle Steel is yet another account of the lives and times during and in between the two world wars. A fictionalised story spanning generations, it maintains an on-the-surface coverage of the political warfare and consequences as the characters get embroilled in it. Yet even this feels so terrible, one can't imagine what went through the actual victims, survivors and witnesses.

> The Kite runner celebrates itself as the debut novel of the prolific present-day author, doctor and acticvist Khaled Hosseini. I must say, what a ground-shattering debut it is! The story of two friends, bonded and separated by fate, tragedy and torture. We grow with Aamir in it, love him, hate it, support him, revolt against him and silently witness the double standards of the soceity and the terror of Taliban just like him. We want to do something about it all, yet feel as helpless as him! Maybe that's why Hosseini chose him as the narrator from all the wonderful characters, and over himself too!

All these three novels have made me cry, but I know they and the people they speak of deserve it and more.

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Next in the series: Last but not the least

4-6 of my twelve most loved novels

previous in this series: my top twelve most loved novels.

In my last blog I mentioned one of my favourite novel which speaks of following our dreams- The Alchemist. Strangely, the next two novels also deal with the same theme in completely contrasting perspectives.
Don Quixote, and Alice in wonderland.

> Where The Alchemist speaks of dreams in the literary context and hints at the other connotations as in aspirations, Don Quixote stresses on dreams in this very other context. Our hero is so inspired by the various warrior stories he has read of knights in shining armour, that he sets out to meet his own adventures and become a knight himself. Thereafter unfolds a series of hilarious misadventures and heart touching lessons.

In a very well handled and light-hearted way it shows us the thin line which separates commitment from craze, and how one can either become a hero or a fool.

> In Alice in wonderland, on the other hand, Sir Lewis Carroll tells the tale of a little girl who falls down a rabbit hole and falls asleep, and goes through many adventures in her dreams.

I grew up with Alice, with my sister bringing her home one evening for me from her school library. It was instant friendship between us, and then we often met every weekend when she visited me as a cartoon series.

> Another book which coloured my childhood was Ruskin Bond's Childrens' omnibus. A collection of myriad tales set in different backgrounds, speaking of different stories. It is full of such diverse characters, creatures and consequences it is a treasure trove in itself. A book whose stories I treasure even in my memories and a book I would love to keep for generations to come.

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Next in the series: Bound by pain, bonded by love.

My top twelve most loved novels.

Very recently, I came across a chain-status update on Facebook asking the person and their tagged along nominee to list their most loved books ever.

It really caught my fancy because books are that one commodity I go head over heals over. I can't imagine my life or the world without them.

So, I thought why not dedicate my initial blogs of this month for this very theme, and as I feel 'books' on the whole is too large a universe to pick ten bright stars, I have narrowed down to the field of novels and as I cannot find my list complete by just ten, I have made it twelve! And because it is my blogspot, I  prefer to add a praise or two for each of my picks.

Here's my first three in the list:
> Great Expectations:
One of the famous works of Charles Dickens it tops my list for the mere uniqueness it radiates. It follows the life story of Pip, from the dull marsh countryside of England to lands across borders, in his pursuit of great fortunes and the love of his life.

For me, it is a genre in itself and it abounds with some of the most memorable of Dickens' characters(and almost every character from this novel). Each of them are so full of life and individuality, and none of them seem out of this world. Be it the eccentric Miss Havisham, mysterious Magwitch or the unassumable Mr. Jaggers. This book is my most favourite travel companion as well.

> Pride and Prejudice:
A classic like the above mentioned novel, it needs no introduction nor do its characters. The second most read and appreciated novel by Jane Austen, it captures the victorian era English countryside, life and urban soceity with finesse sans all the wars and politics that plagued it in reality.

It is a subtle tale of love, siblings-bonding, friendship and relationships and a true gem for me.

> The Alchemist:
A legendary novel in which the theme speaks profounder than the storyline, and perhaps that was the intention of its author Paulo Coelho. His every novel follows a simple storyline and oozes with wisdom, so does this too.

It simply asks us to believe in our dreams and pursue it come what may. The uniqueness of this novel is that it mentions the name of the protoganist just once, and addresses him throughout as 'The boy' which compels the readers to connect with him as one and believe in its relevance.

I can read all the above three a zillion times and find them as new as ever every time. Have you read any of these three? What is your say on them? What are the top ten most loved novels?

Do share and indulge.

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Next in the series: 4-6 of my most loved novels